Impending Affection
by To the Wild Rose
Summary: The future is what we make of it. So what happens when the future comes looking for you? A mysterious boy makes his way into a different world, searching for answers...and revenge. 1xR.
1. Infiltration

**AN: Yes, this is it! One of my most highly anticipated stories…well in my opinion. LOL. I must tell you I have had this idea in my head for some time now and it is awesome to finally be able to write it out. "The High king" is now almost complete which means I have time to start on a brand new, totally awesome fic!**

**DISCLAIMER FOR THE ENTIRE STORY! I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM WING OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. PERIOD!**

A bright light flashed and he shot out of the portal instantly. The boy fell to the ground and grunted with the sharp impact of skin hitting black asphalt. Picking himself up, the boy spun around to watch the portal light dwindle and die. What was once there was now replaced by a brick wall.

"Hayden, are you alright?"

Annoyed, the boy looked down at his wrist communicator to see the face of an old man staring at him anxiously.

"Fine, where am I?"

"On the outside parameter of the Cinq Kingdom, now remember, you must be careful, the past is not what you may think it to be."

"I can handle it," replied Hayden coldly. He peered at his surroundings with fierce blue eyes. So this was the Cinq Kingdom? The former place of glory and peace? Hayden shook his head in disbelief.

"Good, now listen to me," continued the old man, "Preventers Headquarters is approximately two miles east of your present location. On your wrist communicator, I have installed a holographic map, use it well."

Hayden only nodded as he began to walk down the alley where he had landed. Dark thoughts plagued his mind. He would not fail this mission. He had failed in so many other ways, but he would do this correctly. He owed himself that much.

"Hayden," came the old man again.

"What do you want?" responded the boy sharply.

"Do not let your emotions get in the way of the task at hand. I will not allow any excuses for failure this time. I have given you too many chances to let you screw this up."

"I said I can handle this!" growled Hayden.

He shut off the communicator quickly. How many missions had he been on before? Damn what the old man had said, Hayden would not let his emotions get in the way. He would only follow them. And, if his instincts told him to kill Heero Yuy, then so be it.

**{-}**

Duo Maxwell had his feet kicked up at his desk. All was well, everything was peaceful; nothing was going wrong. He smiled. What a rare coincidence that was! For two years, he had agreed to work at the Preventers under the condition that he really had nowhere else to go. The others had done what was suitable to them. Trowa returned to the circus, and Quatre to attend to Winner Enterprises. Wufei reluctantly agreed to stay with Preventers after Duo had signed on. The newest arrival on the team was Heero, who after a year's absence came back quietly.

Duo smirked. He often suspected that the only reason Heero had come back was to uphold a certain "promise" he had made a few years ago. Then again, the former pilot made no signs of having any acquaintances with any of his former pilots, nor the young Vice Foreign Minister. Heero Yuy was strictly professional.

"Maxwell!" barked Wufei.

Duo nearly fell out of his chair. "Wufei, do you have to sneak up on guy like that? Show a little respect, will you?"

"The only time I will ever show you any respect is the day you cut off that ridiculous braid." Duo clung to his prized possession furiously, Wufei rolled his eyes. "Come on, the Vice Foreign Minister arrives at any moment. We are heightening security."

Duo nodded and grabbed his hat, following the Chinese man out of the room. They walked through the corridors of the Preventers base. Rounding a corner, it was already clear that the Vice Foreign Minister had made her way into the building. Wufei led Duo to the conference room where Commander Une awaited them. The two former Gundam Pilots took their places in the different corners of the room. Duo smirked when he saw a man secluding himself by the doorway. Duo guess that Heero had been occupying the room ten minutes before the Vice Foreign Minister even arrived.

Finally, she entered the room and sat down. She greeted each occupant warmly. Relena Darlian had always had a way with people. She was courteous and polite, even to those whom she did not get along with so well. But, she was in safe territory right now, away from the vicious politicians who challenged her daily. When Commander Une entered the room, Relena stood up and shook her hand in welcome. By now, Relena was no stranger to the Preventers. It was here that she sought safety in times of danger, friendship in times of need. She regarded each member of the Preventers with the utmost respect. Especially certain former Gundam Pilots.

Relena was not naïve. She was quite aware of Heero Yuy's presence in the room. As usual, he watched her silently. When he was on duty she chose to respect his wishes of professionalism. She also demanded the same. But, when both were not on duty, their shared a deep mutual attachment; one of respect more than intimacy.

Struggling to keep her eyes off of him, Relena sighed. Even though there was no definite romantic relationship between her and Heero, she still fought with her feelings towards him. Respect was one thing, but love was another. However, no longer the foolish girl she had once been, Relena gave Heero his space. It was ridiculous to follow a man around like a lost puppy, even if you were secretly in love with him.

Avoiding his piercing gaze, Relena forced herself to listen to the monthly report she had come to hear from Commander Une. Each month, Relena made it a point to understand each project the Preventers were occupying themselves with. She deemed it important to be up-to-date on such information. Should the need arise to disclose any of the information with the ESUN; she would be well equipped to handle the situation.

"Everything seems to be going as planned," Commander Une was saying. "I have included a report to give to you. You may take it home and look over it. I see no need to make this meeting last any longer than necessary. I know that you have other matters to attend to."

"I thank you very much," said Relena. "I will look over this and call you in a couple of days. However, I am sure that all is up to speed. Thank you," said Relena as she stood and took Commander Une's hand once more and shook it.

"Thank you for stopping by," said the Head of the Preventers. "I know that your car is waiting. Preventer Zero will escort you out."

Relena smiled, then, looked somewhat nervously at Heero's direction. He was ready and waiting for her. Slowly, Relena picked up her belongings and made her way out of the room with Heero Yuy at her side. Relena could almost feel Duo Maxwell's smirk at her back.

**{-}**

Hayden wasted no time as he strolled up the security gate of Preventers Headquarters. A security guard watched him closely as he walked through the metal detector. The light went off and beeped. Hayden, however, kept on walking. Several guards rushed up to meet him.

"Sir," said one Preventer, "I am going to have to ask you to empty your pockets of all metallic objects that may have triggered the alarm."

"Empty this," growled Hayden as he pulled out a gun shooting soldier.

Panic spread throughout the main lobby of the base as the boy opened fire. Hayden took no notice of the bullets flying around his body or the sound of the alarm ringing for a complete lockdown. He was on a mission; nothing was going to stop him. The only thing that he was faintly aware of was the team of Preventers running up to meet him with their guns aimed. Hayden ducked behind a large pillar immediately when they opened fire. Returning fire, Hayden quickly observed his surroundings. An air vent was just a few feet away from him. Taking his gun, Hayden shot out the few screws that held the wire venting in place. He quickly tore away the covering and dodged inside, making his way through the ventilation system.

**{-}**

Heero was the ever silent companion as they made their way through the base. The former pilot led Relena gently by the arm. He was not unaware of her presence. The years had been kind to her. Though she was older and more mature, she was still the same Relena that he had met when he first fell to the earth.

After his unofficial retirement as a Gundam Pilot, Heero escaped from the cold reality of life for a while. He retreated to L1, spending time on his own, contemplating what he should do with the rest of his life. Without a war, the Perfect Soldier was useless. How did an unemotional man become human? Heero understood this concept and took the necessary steps. For a while, he decided to enroll in a local university. However, the classes bored him and Heero found himself more distant from his peers than ever before. Who could understand what he had been through other than those who had been there with him? That was when he dropped out. After school, Heero became an independent thief, performing missions for a "small sum". The work brought back memories for him. But although it was a mission and it was work, Heero soon found it to be dishonest work, even though the money was good.

Then one day, he saw her. Her face was on the large projector television at the center of the colony. She was delivering a speech to the ESUN National Peace Conference. Heero found himself drawn to her, even after a year of absence. Her voice was clear, her hair still the color of honey, and her eyes brighter than the bluest sapphires. At one point in her speech, Heero swore that she looked right through him. It was at that moment that he knew where he needed to be. Despite his mixed feelings towards Relena Darlian in the past, no one could ever understand him better.

Thus, their mutual friendship began. It started with a simple exchange of helloes, to stolen glances here and there. Heero often found himself drawing towards her when she was nearby. Commander Une must have sensed his longing to be by her side, thus always appointing him as her escort. He was the best that the head of Preventers had in terms of protection. That point aside, Heero knew that he was becoming more intimate with Relena day by day, even if it was not entirely noticeable. When he had first realized this, Heero distanced himself somewhat, unsure of his emotions. He was so different from Relena in so many ways. Could a man, such as he, ever be capable of living a normal life? Could the Perfect Soldier ever love? Questions plagued his mind every day.

Despite his feelings though, Heero Yuy kept them to himself in the strictest confidence. It would not be wise to share them with anyone. He continued to escort the young woman in silence until she was the one who finally spoke.

"How have you been Heero? It has been several week since I saw you last?"

"Fine."

"I am glad to hear that," she replied. She felt braver when she was alone with him sometimes. She kept their relationship strictly professional when they were in the presence of others. But right now, they were alone and no one was around to see or hear them. She continued, "I met with Senator Davinzky yesterday to discuss the intolerable conditions on L5."

Heero raised an eyebrow, "And?"

"He has agreed to take my terms in consideration finally."

"How did you finally persuade him?" asked Heero emotionlessly.

"I gave him an ultimatum," she replied with a small smile.

Heero smirked slightly and nodded.

They continued their walk again in silence. Relena looked at him through the corner of her eye. He was in soldier mode, dressed in his Preventer uniform. The young woman could not help but stare at his body. She could see his muscles ripple through his thin green shirt. A faint pink glow began to make its way over her pale cheeks.

"Heero, I…"

"Shhhh!" he suddenly warned her.

Relena looked at him startled. His ears were perked up and he was staring at the hallway ahead of them. Taking out his gun, Heero pushed Relena behind him. Clinging to him somewhat fearfully, Relena tried to listen. Gradually she heard what sounded like…screaming? A loud gunshot confirmed her suspicions. Jumping back at the sound of the lockdown alarm, Relena held on tightly to Heero's shirt.

Heero, on the other hand, wasted no time. Grabbing Relena, he began to run towards the nearest door. As he was about to open it though, noise through the ventilation system above them, made the Perfect Soldier's head snap up quickly. He felt Relena freeze at his side. Cocking his gun, Heero slowly listened to the thumping sound of someone crawling through the aluminum shaft. The noise stopped. Taking aim, Heero focused on the now quiet air vent.

Relena stepped back as she coward behind Heero. Someone was above them, an intruder of some sort. The lockdown alarm was blasting through her ears and she could see people running ahead of her in the main lobby. Heero was focused on the air vent. She dared not breathe a word or make a sound. The intruder was right above them.

"Get in that room, Relena," ordered Heero darkly.

"Heero…"

"Now!" he cried as he opened fire.

Relena pulled open the door and slammed it behind her. She screamed and ducked her head as bullet flew past her head through the door. Crawling on the floor, Relena made her way over to a desk. She hid beneath the piece of furniture and covered her ears as the gunshots continued. Her heart began to race as she thought about Heero's safety.

Suddenly, the gunshots ceased. Uncovering her ears, Relena slowly peered out from under the desk to the door. The knob was turning slowly. She ducked behind the desk once again…something was wrong. As the door opened, heavy footsteps thudded across the floor. Relena held her breath. She caught a glance of heavy black boots on the floor; assuring her that whoever the intruder was that is was not a Preventer. Little by little, the stranger made his way closer to her hiding place. Relena closed her eyes when he was right in front of her. The only thing she recognized was the glint of the gun he held in his hand. She had to find a means of escape, he did not yet know of her presence.

Gathering all her courage, Relena decided on a bold plan of action. While his gun rested at his side, Relena swung out her right leg with full force, knocking the object to the ground. When the man, bent over in surprise, she swung her leg back kicking him directly in the face. He fell to the ground. Relena took the opportunity to run as fast as she could. She did not gaze behind her as she fled for the door. Just as she reached the hallway, shots were fired and she suddenly felt a burning sensation in her right arm. Ignoring the pain, Relena desperately fled through the corridor.

Shots were still being fired behind her. She was being followed. Turning to the first corner on her left, the young woman sought any means of escape. She was hopelessly out of her territory. Never in her life had she been in this sector of the base. Where did she go from here? Relena ran to the nearest doorway, pulling desperately on the handle. It was locked. She ran to the next one, she could hear the heavy thudding of the intruder's black boots. Nearly crying out loud, Relena struggled with the door handle…locked again. She ran to the end of the hallway, where the last door remained.

"Hold it!"

Relena froze, not daring to spin around. It was an unfamiliar voice, the voice of a man. Deep and monotonous he spoke again, "Put yours hands in the on your head and kneel to the ground."

Relena did as she was told, not daring to even look at her aggressor. In a moment, he was right next to her, holding the gun to her head. Relena closed her eyes, waiting for the final shot.

"Try not to scream," he whispered.

**AN: I just know how you all love cliffhangers! Tell me what you think about it so far. I am dying to know if I should continue or not! Well then again I think I will anyways! Email: **


	2. Feelings Revealed

**AN: Well I'm judging from the response I received from all of you guys is that you liked the first chapter! So I am going to continue on with the story! Enjoy!**

**{-}**

Heero opened his eyes. Sitting up quickly, the former Gundam pilot noted what had caused him to lose consciousness so suddenly. Blood was trickling down his forehead, covering his shirt and his hands. A bullet had grazed his head leaving a deep wound. He had been lucky. Remembering the intruder, Heero looked around the hallway. He caught site of the man just as he turned the corner of the hallway.

_Relena…_

Heero quickly stood and glanced in the room she had fled into. It was empty, she was gone. Had she passed by him without even seeing him? She must have. Heero rose to his feet in pursuit of the intruder. Relena was in danger still, that man had to be chasing after her. Using all his speed, the Preventer cut the corner sharply, ignoring the throbbing headache that was coming on.

**{-}**

"Try not to scream," he whispered.

Relena began to shake with fear. She would not scream, she would not be afraid; it would all be over soon. This was just a nightmare. __

"God help me," she breathed as she felt him pulling the trigger.

Suddenly, the gun was gone from her head and she heard a loud thud on the ground beside her. Relena did not dare open her eyes at least until protective arms wrapped around her and picked her up off the floor. Surprised, Relena's sapphire eyes flashed open to meet Heero's.

"Heero!" she cried as she held onto him tightly. He embraced her protectively, keeping an eye on the now unconscious intruder. Relena now turned to look at the man.

"Who is he?" she asked.

"I do not know," replied Heero coldly.

The young woman focused her gaze back at him, "Heero you're hurt, what happened?" she asked as she wiped some blood out of his eyes.

"I am fine," he said shrugging her off, kneeling down to look at the young man. His gun was still aimed at the assassins head. Thinking quickly, Heero flipped on his wrist communicator. "Preventer Zero to Commander Une: intruder has been disabled and is in my custody. I am in sector seven. Send a team in immediately…"

Moments later, a herd of Preventers came trampling down the hallway. Relena was quickly whisked away to a safe room, and the stranger to a holding cell where he would be questioned when he woke up.

Heero watched Relena carefully as she left the hallway. He saw her catch one last glance at him before he turned the corner.

"Heero, you alright?" asked Duo as he ran up to his comrade.

Heero touched the blood that was still streaking down his face. "I'm fine."

"Well you better let Sally be the judge of that," said Commander Une. "Maxwell escort Heero to the infirmary. Make sure he gets some stitches this time."

"No problem!" grinned Duo. The cheerful man walked alongside his silent friend down the hallway. The head of the Preventers watched them leave. She turned sharply to Wufei.

"Chang I want you to do a thorough background check on this guy. What happened today was inexcusable and I lost three good men…and almost one Vice Foreign Minister."

Wufei nodded and set off to do her bidding. Commander Une had a worried look on her face. How the hell did this guy manage to get in here that easily?

**{-}**

Sally finished up on the last of the ten stitches she had just placed into Heero's forehead. "You were lucky, Heero. Another half an inch to the left and you would have been done for."

"Well," exclaimed Duo as he placed his arm around Heero's shoulders. "Does he pass the test doc?"

Sally smiled, "You have a mild concussion and a throbbing headache I'm sure. Take tomorrow off at least and rest. No physical activity for at least a week or you will bleed again. As for now, you are good to go."

Duo grinned while Heero hopped off the table. "Thank you Sally," Heero said in his deep voice.

"Don't mention it," she smiled. "Now, I have to see to my other patients. Ten were wounded by that psycho."

"Are they all going to be okay?" asked Duo.

"Fortunately yes," replied Sally sadly. "I just don't understand how this happened. Preventers have never had an open attack such as this before. To make matters worse, it was only one man."

"But who sent him," said Heero coldly.

A voice came through Duo's communicator. "Maxwell, this is Chang, report to Une's office immediately."

**{-}**

When they arrived in Commander Une's office, Heero was surprised to see Relena sitting quietly in a chair. She looked fine, only slightly shaken from the incident. Lady Une motioned for Duo and Heero to take a seat. She then nodded to Wufei. The Chinese man turned on a television featuring surveillance videos of the intruder's entrance into the building.

"As you can see," noted Wufei. "This man has been trained for many years. Look at his speed and agility. No normal assassin could have entered so easily."

"He must be no older than sixteen," whispered Relena.

"He probably underwent extensive training like we did to become Gundam Pilots," said Duo. "Look at his technique, its very similar to Heero's."

"I agree," said Wufei as he studied the video.

"Why did he come here though?" asked Relena.

"We aren't sure yet," said Commander Une. "Last we heard he was still unconscious. When he awakens, I am having him brought here for questioning."

Duo frowned, "So, onto the real question now, who is this guy?"

Commander Une looked at Wufei. The Chinese man began to fumble over his next words. "When I tried to do a background check, I found no matches. I looked again just be sure but…"

"Preventers have an extensive record of nearly every one on the planet!" exclaimed Duo. "You're saying there's nothing on this guy?"

Wufei rolled his eyes, "Maxwell that is exactly what I am saying. According to our records, he does not even exist."

Relena's eyes grew worried, "But how is that possible?"

"It's not," said Heero darkly. "We have the most up-to-date database. Nothing should slip by it."

"We took this off of him," said Wufei as he withdrew a gun. "Look familiar to any of you two?" he asked as he held it out for Heero and Duo to study.

Duo frowned and looked at Heero, "I've never seen a model like this…Heero?"

The former Perfect Soldier took the gun into his hands and studied it carefully. He emptied the cartridge in his hand, studying the bullets. "This is a completely new model and a new kind of ammunition. The technology of this gun is highly advanced."

"Have you ever seen a bullet like this?" asked Duo.

Wufei shook his head, "I think we are dealing with someone who is far ahead of our world."

"But who?" finished Relena.

**{-}**

Hayden groaned as he sat up. His head was throbbing. He cursed himself for his foolishness. He should never have gone after that girl, but he did not want anyone to ruin his mission. However, he was now in an even deeper hole than the one he had originally dug. Damn his stupidity, he would not let himself do such a thing ever again.

He had never been caught before, not on one of his missions. But it was just when he had seen _him_. He had let his emotions get in his way and it nearly cost him the mission.

Hayden growled at the thought of Heero Yuy. He had not expected to see him so soon. He was unprepared for the meeting and thus did not handle the situation aptly. He should have aimed more closely for his head. He must have just missed him knocking the man unconscious instead of killing him. Hayden was sure that it was Heero who had knocked him out.

Now, Hayden was stuck inside a small holding cell with a security camera nearly shoved down his throat. No matter. He would escape somehow.

Hayden's head jerked up when the door opened and five Preventers came in, three of them pointing guns directly at his body.

"Commander Une wishes to question you," said one of them. "Raise your hands above your head."

Hayden did as he was told. One of the Preventers came over and cuffed his hands behind his back. Hayden smirked at the pathetic device that these men thought would hold him. The past was definitely not up to date.

The Preventers led him outside the holding cell and down the corridors of the base. All the while Hayden held his smirk on his face. One of his escorts looked at him curiously.

"What are you smiling at? You're about to be put on trial for murder," said the Preventer.

"I know," replied Hayden coldly, his blue eyes flashing.

**{-}**

The lockdown alarm rang once more. Everyone in Commander Une's office jumped. Immediately, Heero grabbed Relena and threw her behind him. Wufei and Duo drew their guns, as did Une.

"What the hell is going on?" shouted the head of the Preventers into her intercom.

A panicked voice responded, "It's the prisoner…he's escaped!"

"Go now! I'll take care of Relena!" cried Une.

Without a word, the three former Gundam Pilots shot out of the office like hawks. Wufei was on his communicator, "This is Preventer Fire to Main Security. Look on the screens and get me the location of the escaped prisoner!"

"He's approaching the main hanger. Sir, he is armed and dangerous, I repeat armed and dangerous!"

The three of them ran as quick as they could. Ahead of them, they could here gunshots being fired. Heero broke into a long stride, outdistancing himself from the others. He peered into the hanger. Preventers were firing shots at the young man. The prisoner was making his way towards the exit. Heero smirked. With the base in a lockdown there were no means of escape.

Heero fired some defensive shots as he ran through the hanger. He ducked behind a fighter jet when returning shots were fired. Heero looked over to Duo and Wufei. He motioned to for them to cover for him. He would surprise this man from behind once again.

Hayden on the other hand would not fall for the same trick as he did the last time. He ceased firing for a moment and watched as Heero began to crawl on the ground. Anger rose in Hayden's heart. Damn Heero Yuy! He would not be beaten again. Searching for a means of escape, Hayden ducked his head as bullets whizzed past him. His only cover at the moment was a metallic tool cabinet. After looking for another moment, Hayden saw a smaller door next to the titanic hanger entrance. Returning a few more shots, Hayden searched for Heero again. Seeing him, Hayden fired two more well-aimed shots in Heero's direction, just missing the Preventer's head. Heero ducked slightly, giving Hayden just the time he needed.

Aiming his gun at the door handle, Hayden opened fire. The door burst open, revealing the outside world to him. He was only twenty yards away from freedom. Changing his gun clip, quickly, Hayden fired several more shots. He saw one of the Preventers, a man with a long brown braid grab his arm and fall. Hayden then switched directions, catching sight of Heero, and opened a slew of shots upon him as he ran towards his only exit.

Heero cursed as the gunfire ceased. Hopping to his feet, the former Perfect Soldier ran towards the now open door. Gun in hand, he went outside and looked around. However, much to his dismay, the fugitive was nowhere to be found. Growling, Heero went back inside.

Preventers were now everywhere in the room. Heero approached a wounded Duo and an angry Wufei. Duo had suffered a shot to his left arm. Wufei was pacing back and forth in anger. Several bodies of good Preventers were lying on the ground. The Chinese man nearly screamed,

"Twenty armed Preventers in this room and we can't even wound him! Injustice! It's pathetic!" He growled once more and looked at Heero. "One man," he exclaimed as he held up a finger, "one man took probably twelve lives today! One man just made the most elite, most professional, most highly trained army in the universe look like a bunch of weak bakas!"

"Wufei," said Duo as he cringed from the pain in his arm, "calm down. We'll get this guy."

Wufei shook his head, "Maxwell you saw the way this guy moves, the way he fights. You know it looks all too familiar."

Duo bowed his head. He knew exactly what Wufei was getting at, "Yeah…."

"The Perfect Soldier," interrupted Heero solemnly.

**{-}**

After the mess at the base had been somewhat cleared up, Heero was given his orders to escort Relena home and remain with her throughout the night. If the mysterious man was an assassin sent by a terrorist organization to kill the Vice Foreign Minister, then Preventers were taking no chances.

Heero led Relena out the back entrance of the base where her limo awaited them. He helped her into the car. Glancing around before he got in, Heero sensed that someone was watching him. His Prussian eyes scanned the parameter of the base for a few moments.

"Heero is everything alright?" asked Relena from the backseat.

He looked at her suddenly, snapping out of soldier mode, "Fine," he replied curtly as he slid in next to her.

As they drove off, Hayden's eyes followed the vehicle from the shadows. Whoever the woman was that Heero was helping, it was clear that he cared for her. He was quite the protective bodyguard. Suddenly, his wrist communicator beeped. Rolling his eyes, Hayden spoke into it, "Yes?"

"Hayden," came the voice of the old man, "I must speak with you, it is urgent!"

"What's wrong?"

"Your mission has changed. Apparently, the information we seek is not at the Preventers base after all."

Again, Hayden rolled his eyes. "Where is it then? Does it even exist?"

"Of course it does! But Hayden as I tell you this, I have to remind you again not to let your emotions interfere…"

"I know what I am doing!" snapped Hayden. "Just tell me where the plans are."

"Heero Yuy has them," said the old man quickly.

Hayden's heart jumped slightly. He was silent. Suddenly, a wicked idea began to form in his mind.

"Hayden did you here me?" asked the old man.

"Mission accepted," Hayden sneered as he walked towards the direction Heero's car had taken.

**{-}**

Heero helped Relena out of the car. The Darlian estate loomed before them. Several Preventers had been stationed around every entryway. Commander Une had ordered reinforcements.

Pagan greeted the two of them warmly. It was not uncommon for the butler to see Heero with Ms. Relena at the house. He often spent evenings there in cases of high security to ensure Relena's safety. The butler smiled at the Preventer who nodded back as a sign of respect.

Relena kissed Pagan warmly on the cheek. "Hello Pagan. I hope that you are well today."

"Yes, Ms. Relena. I am glad to see you home safe. After that phone call we received from Preventers, I was worried."

"Heero took care of me," Relena smiled.

"I can see," muttered Pagan as he examined Heero's stitched head. "Would you like an ice pack for that, Mr. Yuy?"

"No, thank you, I am fine."

"Very well, sir. Ms. Relena, dinner will be on the table for you in half an hour."

"Thank you, Pagan," said Relena. The butler left the room. They were now alone together. She turned to look at him. "I think I'm going to change out of this suit. You are more than welcome to join me for dinner."

Heero simply nodded. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Relena turned and walked upstairs to change.

Heero decided to check on security. He made his way over to the camera room and spoke with two Preventers. He advised them to set up two extra cameras outside of Relena's balcony to cover the gardens below. They did so immediately. No one was willing to doubt the word of Preventer Zero.

Heero then made his way through the entire mansion, checking all the windows and entrances for flaws. Everything seemed to be in order, so he returned to join Relena for dinner approximately a half an hour later. He found her seated in the informal dining room, now dressed in some comfortable white sweats and a blue t-shirt. It was not unusual for Heero to see her so casual. He had been with her at her home many times. One thing that did not change thought at any time of the day was the amount of work she did. When he sat down across from her, she was too preoccupied with Commander Une's report that she did not even notice him.

Heero watched her carefully. She had yet to even touch her food. She was so engrossed in her project that everything else seemed to be worlds away. Most of the time, Heero would respect her while she worked away, but at a time like this, she needed to let things be. Standing up quietly, the young man strode over to her seat, remove the report from her hands, and set it on the table. He then walked back over to his own seat and sat down to eat. Relena looked at him slightly shocked. He had never done that to her before.

"Heero…" she began.

"You can look it over after dinner, Relena. Right now you just need to relax."

His tone was commanding and she dared not argue with him. He always had a way of being right anyways. Relena ate her food diligently. Heero was right, dinner tasted much better when she actually got to enjoy it.

By the time they had finished, it was nearly nine-thirty. Relena sighed. She had hoped to get home sooner from the Preventers, but of course, due to the obvious circumstances, that was not an option. She was so tired and she still had a lot of work to do. Tomorrow she would just have to do an overload because tonight would just prove to be too much.

Heero watched her stand up. She picked up the report. "I think I am going to go to bed," she said. "Do you need a room tonight Heero?"

"I will be staying in your room, Relena," he replied simply.

"Excuse me?" she said.

Heero began to explain, "Before I left, Commander Une ordered that I do not leave your side tonight until the fugitive has been captured. I will sleep on the floor near the balcony."

Relena was so flustered by his words that she could not even speak. She simply nodded and walked out of the room dumb-founded. Making her way upstairs, unknowingly, Relena entered her room and shut the door. Shaking her head she told herself to get a grip. This was not the first time she and Heero had ever spent the night together under the same roof. It was just simply the first time they had ever stayed in the same room.

"This is no big deal," she said to herself out loud. "Be professional Relena, he is just doing his job, just act normally."

"Act normal about what?" asked Heero as he entered the room.

Relena jumped and spun around. He was staring at her with those blue eyes. She felt her face grow hot; she knew that her cheeks were crimson red. The poor girl opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Heero looked at her strangely.

"Relena if my presence makes you uncomfortable, I can leave. It's just that I was instructed to remain at your side all evening…"

"It is fine, Heero, really. I am sorry but…"

"But what?" he asked simply.

She looked at him then looked down at her feet. Why did she have to lose her composure over him? He was just an ordinary man wasn't he?

"Relena?"

"I am sorry," she said as she turned her back to him. "I have known you for years Heero, and I just can't help but feel completely lost when I am around you."

She ran her fingers through her lose hair in frustration. Why did she have to lose it in front of him? Had she really just said what she thought she said?

Heero felt his chest tighten up at her words. She would not look at him. Slowly he walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently spinning her around. She stared at him wide-eyed.

"Relena…" he began.

"Heero," she interrupted, "how can I ever thank you for what you have done for me there past few years. How can I thank you for the friendship and support you have shown me? Each day, you willingly lay your life on the line to protect me and I can't help but think I can never give you anything in return for you kindness."

He titled her chin up so that she would meet his eyes, "Relena, you have been one of the only friends that I have ever known. That is more than enough for me. In fact, your friendship has been the most important of my life."

Her sapphire eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"

They were so close now. He drew her closer to him but placing his arms around. Instinct drove him onward. This was the right time. He could feel his emotions telling him to let everything out at this moment.

"I would never lie to you," he said as he kissed her lips.

She melted to him and they suddenly both realized just how much they had needed each other. Passionately, they kissed again and again without thinking about the world around them. Even when they finally broke apart, Heero still held her close to him. Both of them breathed heavily while looking into each other's eyes. Heero pulled her into another kiss. What he was feeling at that moment was too good to be true. All the emotions of his past fell like a cloak and all he could think about was her. Her scent flooded his nostrils and he found himself kissing her more fervently. Relena replied willingly, but after a few seconds broke their action and stared at him.

"Heero, don't do this to if you only intend to leave me."

Heero cupped her face gently in his hands, "I'm not going anywhere."

Their lips met again immediately. Relena slid her hands up and down his back, feeling his hard taut muscles. Heero found that her touch made him grow wild with desire. He kissed her greedily, crushing her body against his, running his hands through her honey hair and down her back. In one swift motion, he picked her up into his arms. Not breaking their kiss, he walked over to her bed and laid her down upon it. Climbing on top of her, Heero began to slide his hands up and down her smooth body.

Relena gasped at his touch. His rough hands felt soft against her flesh as he crawled his way under her shirt. Gasping in surprise at the new sensations, Relena found herself in a totally different world. He was kissing her neck, teasing her with tiny caresses. Slowly, he made his way up to her mouth and kissed her once more. Pulling himself away, he looked at her with concern in his eyes.

"There is no going back Relena if this happens," he said.

"Then let it happen," she replied as she pulled him down to meet her again.

**AN: WOOOO! Things were getting a little steamy there at the end! I _know _you all enjoyed that! Anyways, I revised chapter one in case you were wondering b/c of some spelling mistakes. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I think I still managed to keep it PG-13. LOL! Please review!**

**Email: **


	3. The Threat

AN: I really hoped that you enjoyed the last chapter. So far, this has been probably my favorite story to write. I don't know why but I love the ideas that are coming into my head. Anyways, here's the next chapter please enjoy.

-

Hayden stood outside the estate, glaring at the enormous house. Preventers were surrounding the place in addition to the hundreds of video cameras that were probably watching him this very moment. It did not matter if they saw him. He could disappear quickly.

He had followed Heero and the young woman to this place. From what he understood, the girl was the Vice Foreign Minister of the ESUN. Hayden smirked in disgust. Where he came from, the ESUN was nothing but a complete failure, and its former members were hated by all in society.

To try and enter the house would prove to be foolish, thought Hayden. There would be another opportunity to kill Heero Yuy, but not tonight. Tonight he had to complete the first leg of his mission, Heero would be his second.

"Hayden?" asked the man on his communicator.

"Yes?" he replied curtly.

"Where are you?"

"Standing outside the home of the former Vice Foreign Minister," he replied.

"Is Yuy there?"

"Yes," said Hayden, "but I will never get in. The place is surrounded."

The old man grew angry, "You have been undergoing years of training to tell me that you cannot break into a simple home? Do not be weak Hayden. Weakness is for fools. I did not send you on this mission to screw around. I want those layout plans and I want them by tomorrow night! Do you understand?"

Hayden narrowed his eyes and answered coldly, "You'll get your plans, just let me do it my way."

"Your way?" inquired the man.

"You said you knew Yuy before the war, where did he live?"

Slowly the old man understood, "Of course! I will get you directions immediately."

Hayden ended the conversation there. He began to walk away from the mansion, blending in with the shadows as he went. He would give them what he wanted and at the same time he would get his own revenge.

-

Sunlight trickled into the room and danced on Heero's face. He opened his eyes. It was morning. Memories of the night before flooded back to him and Heero looked down to see a sleeping Relena nestled in his arms. Realization suddenly hit him. He had spent the night with her; it had not been a dream after all.

Moving ever so slightly so as not to disturb her, Heero sat up in bed. He watched her shallow breathing and wondered at her beauty. Rubbing his hands over his face, Heero wondered how they had finally gotten to that point last night. He had kissed her, then, an innocent kiss had turned into a passionate fire, and the fire into a burning love. Heero had taken Relena last night. He took her because he had no right to take her, and he took her because deep down, they both understood their true affection for each other. But the thought that puzzled Heero the most was that he did not regret it.

Relena moved slightly, causing Heero to look down. Slowly, very slowly, the girl fluttered her sleepy eyes open. She took a hand and brushed it over her face, blinking in the morning sun. Then, suddenly, as if she suddenly remembered she was not alone, she looked at Heero with shock. Pulling the sheet around her to cover up her exposed skin, Relena looked at him shyly.

"I was not dreaming last night?"

Heero shook his head. He smirked at her tentativeness. Relena smiled. Carefully, Heero drew her into his arms and kissed her gently. She let the sheet fall and placed her arms about his neck drawing him to her more deeply. Heero moved her light body underneath of him, pinning her to the bed. Relena sighed in content as he kissed her neck. He made his way back up to her lips and kissed her passionately before pulling away.

"Come on," he said as he rolled away from her. "You are late for the office as it is."

Relena sighed and sat up. Heero was already walking around, picking up his Preventers uniform that had been discarded on the floor. Relena blushed at the sight of his body. Trying to keep her eyes off him, Relena put on her robe and went to the bathroom for a shower.

Fifteen minutes later, she emerged, dripping wet and in nothing but a towel. Heero was nowhere to be found. Shrugging, Relena picked out a suit to wear for the day, dressed, dried her hair, and put on a little makeup. As she was putting on her earrings, she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," she called.

Heero entered and stood by the door.

"I am ready," she said as she picked up her purse. As she made her way over to him, the phone rang by her bed. Rolling her eyes, Relena ran over to answer it.

"Hello…Yes, Commander Une, he is here. I was just getting ready to leave for work… of course. Heero," she said holding out the receiver, "Commander Une wishes to speak with you."

Heero took the receiver and listened closely. He nodded and hung up the phone. Turning to Relena, he spoke, "I have to go; something urgent has come up. Wufei is on his way to escort you to work."

"Heero what is it?"

"I can't tell you, Relena, not now."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Relena," he said with slight agitation, "just let it alone, trust me. You do not need to get involved."

Relena nodded and Heero brushed past her to the door. He failed to see the hurt look on her face when he walked out.

-

Heero walked into his apartment to see a mess of Preventers. Duo marched up to Heero and began explaining.

"It looks like you had a burglary here last night, Heero."

His words spoke true. The entire place was a mess. His couch was flipped over, chairs were lying on their sides, and papers from his desk were everywhere. Heero shook his head. This was ridiculous. Something else was wrong though, or else Preventers would not have been called in.

Duo jerked his head, signaling for Heero to follow him into the bedroom. The first thing Heero saw was a message written across his wall in black marker. It read "I WILL KILL YOU." Breathing heavily, Heero walked out of the room with Duo at his heels.

"Any idea who did this?" asked the braided haired man.

"No," said Heero as he made his way over to his desk. "Did they take anything?" he asked.

"Not that we could tell…" began Duo as Heero walked over to his desk.

Duo watched as Heero stood, puzzled for moment. The man ducked and searched on the floor, then in frustration slammed his fist on the desk in anger.

"What is it?" asked Duo.

"My laptop is missing," growled Heero.

"Hey, no big deal, I'm sure that your homeowner's insurance can replace it."

Heero shook his head angrily. Just then, Commander Une entered the room. She quickly rushed everyone out except for Heero and Duo.

"Heero I'm sorry to have brought you this news this morning," she said. "Did they take anything terribly important?"

"My laptop is missing…" began Heero.

"Relax, Heero!" exclaimed Duo. "We'll buy you a new one."

"You don't understand," interrupted Heero. "It had the layout plans for the Gundams on it."

Duo's face fell. He looked at Commander Une in confusion. "But, we destroyed them. We destroyed the Gundams; all evidence of them. We agreed to…"

"I asked Heero to keep the layout plans for emergencies," cut in Commander Une. "I contacted Dr. J just after the Gundams were destroyed. He agreed to discard his blue prints on the condition that Heero keep one copy of them intact."

"They were downloaded onto my laptop," explained Heero. "I have them copied onto a disk, but whoever has taken the laptop still holds access to all the plans. It could prove to be catastrophic."

"Commander!" said a young Preventer as he marched into the room. He saluted and held out a file to her. "These are the results of the fingerprints test we ran."

"Thank you," said Une as she waved him off. But, the young man did not budge.

"Commander," he said. "They match those of the man who infiltrated Preventers base yesterday."

She looked at him sharply in surprise.

-

Relena walked alongside Wufei quietly. They were back at Preventers base. Only this time, Relena was sure that the trip would be shorter than her last meeting there. She had agreed to have a lunch date with Sally. But, with the busy doctor's schedule, the only place they could arrange to meet was at the mess hall; a factor that did not bother Relena in the least.

Sally greeted the Vice Foreign Minister warmly and the two made their way through the mess hall, trays in hand.

"You seem awfully quiet today, Relena," inquired Sally. "May I ask what makes you frown so much?"

Relena looked at her in surprise, "I am not frowning."

"Ah, that is when you know something is on your mind," smiled Sally. "What is going on?"

Relena sighed as she sat down at a table. It was hard not to notice the pairs of eyes that fixated on her every move. She was not oblivious to the numerous stares she was receiving at the moment. Did they all know? No, how could they it would be impossible.

"Relena?" asked Sally.

The young girl snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at the doctor.

"You really are upset," continued Sally as she took a bite of food. "Please tell me what's going on."

"I am really fine," said Relena as she shook her head. "I just feel a little stressed out right now that's all…nothing more," she added quickly.

"I can imagine what with work and all, if anything you should be on your deathbed by now… no offense."

"None taken," smiled Relena. The two women ate their meal for a little while. Relena looked up at Sally after some time though, "Sally, do you believe in love? I mean just the actual concept?"

Sally put her fork down, "Does this have anything to do with a certain bodyguard?"

Relena was so shocked by the statement that her eyes nearly fell out of her sockets. How could she know? She had never truly confessed her feelings towards Heero Yuy before. It had all just been an innocent infatuation, nothing more. But, what was it now?

Sally laughed at Relena's expression, "Oh Relena, please. We are not blind. You are clearly attracted to Heero, everyone can see that."

"Everyone?" muttered Relena.

"Everyone," reemphasized Sally.

Relena bowed her head slightly in embarrassment. If everyone saw her attraction to him, then what else did they know? Did they know that he had made love to her last night? Did they know that she thought about him everyday? Just how much did everyone know? Her mind raced with questions. Did they know if he felt the same way for her?

Sally continued, "Don't feel ridiculous Relena, it's fine really. I think it's really adorable that you like Heero."

"Sally this is not high school, we are all adults here," muttered Relena under her breath.

Sally smiled and laughed. "Fine, your secret is safe with me."

The doctor stood up and placed her tray near the trashcan.

"Pass me a note before gym class, will you?" laughed Sally as she walked off to get back to work.

Relena rolled her eyes and discarded of her only half-eaten meal. She had too much on her mind to think about eating.

As she walked out of the cafeteria, Relena suddenly felt more alone than she ever had in her life. What had she done last night? Yes, it had been beautiful and wonderful and everything she had ever wanted, but was it the right thing to do? What was the status and her and Heero's relationship now? They could certainly not go back to the way they once were. You can never go back again.

That morning Heero was still there and he had greeted her warmly with a kiss and gentle affection. But, she longed to speak with him and hear his thoughts on the matter. No, she wanted to know what he was feeling in his heart. Did he truly feel the same way she felt about him? Or was last night just a shadow of the past? He had left so abruptly that morning that she didn't know what to think.

Relena walked alone through the corridors of the base. Was this infatuation, or was this what they called love? She had been waiting for the moment when he would finally, kiss her and claim her as his own, but had it really happened after all. Heero Yuy had never been bound to one particular place before in his life. Yes, he had been working as her bodyguard for some time now, but work could not keep him caged up for too long. He was a free spirit, much like herself, and for that reason, Relena respected him deeply. It was not her say in whether or not he wished to move on; Heero Yuy alone could make that decision, just as only she could make the decisions that focused on her own life.

Relena sighed. She longed to speak with him. Would he stay with her again tonight? Would he even acknowledge her if she were to see him at that very moment? All these thoughts ran through her head just as Heero walked into the hallway she was in.

She hardly noticed him at first for she was so lost in his own thoughts. His pace was brisk and Duo struggled to keep up with him. It wasn't until he was nearly right before her that either of them took note of the other's presence.

Relena stopped and looked at him curiously. Though his face was made of stone, she could read the emotion in his eyes…something was wrong.

"Heero, what is it?" she asked worriedly.

"Not now, Relena," he replied coldly as he walked past her.

Duo looked at her reassuringly, "Don't worry, I will cool him off. He's had a rude awakening." With that the braided man jogged off to catch up with his stoic companion.

Despite Duo's casual reassurances, Relena suddenly felt herself falling. His words had been rude and hurtful, even if they were not intended for her. Tears threatened to spill from her sapphire eyes, but she held them back willingly, her pride not willing to let her give in.

What made her think that an actual relationship with Heero Yuy was possible? Just when she was getting close to him, something would come up and tear him away. The thought made her wonder. Perhaps fate had a different destiny in store for them; one that they could not share together. Relena bowed her head and continued to walk alone in her heartbreaking thoughts.

000

"Heero, what are you doing?" asked Duo.

The former Zero pilot was at his desk typing away furiously on his computer. His eyes were narrowed at the screen.

"I am searching for that man," he replied simply.

Duo rolled his eyes, "For the hundredth time, he doesn't exist! We've tried everything. There is no record of this guy anywhere! His fingerprints are off the charts. It's like he was never born!"

"Everyone has an identity," contorted Heero.

Duo sighed again. He sat back and watched as Heero continued to work. The minutes passed, and eventually so did the hours. Duo wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but it was Wufei who abruptly woke him up.

"Maxwell!" he barked, kicking the man sharply in the leg.

Duo yelped and fell out of his chair. He glared at Wufei with contempt. "What did you do that for?" he exclaimed.

Wufei rolled his eyes, "You are at work, and I don't think sleeping was in the job description."

Duo simply shrugged off the sly remark and looked back over to Heero, who was still typing away furiously.

"Yuy," remarked Wufei, "give it up. I have already tried every possible method of identification known to man. We have nothing on him."

Heero ignored him and continued to work.

Wufei shrugged and turned to Duo. "Une has you on guard duty tonight with Relena…"

Heero's head popped up, "For what? I was not notified…"

"I am notifying you now," interrupted Wufei. "Duo is on duty and so am I. I have been asked to escort you back to your home."

"What?" exclaimed Heero angrily. He stood from his seat and glared at the Chinese man.

"Like it or not, Yuy, you were issued a death threat. Une is taking no chances. You are going to be watched over like a hawk until we catch this guy."

"I can take care of myself," growled Heero.

"I do not doubt your abilities of self defense," continued Wufei, "but those are my orders, like it or not."

Duo placed a hand a Heero's shoulder, "Don't worry, buddy, I'll take good care of the princess for you."

Heero shrugged him away angrily and stormed out of the room. Wufei glanced over at Duo with a slight smirk and Duo grinned.

000

Relena was certainly surprised to see Duo awaiting her when she walked out of her office that afternoon. He smiled and held open the car door as she climbed in, then proceeded to follow suit.

"Hello, princess!" he greeted with a large smile. "Your usual guard detail could not be present today for reasons of which I am not at liberty to discuss. I will be on duty for the next couple of days."

Relena could immediately feel a sense of urgency take hold of her. "Is everything alright, Duo?"

"Don't worry," grinned Duo. "let's just say that Heero is finally getting to see what it's like to be a victim of one of his own threats." He winked at her.

Relena smiled, but was still puzzled by the sudden turn of events. Whatever it was, it had something to do with Heero's hasty retreat that morning. Relena sat back and sighed as she let her thoughts engulf her on the ride home.

"What's on your mind, Relena?" asked Duo cheerfully.

"Oh, nothing…"

"Now, princess, you know you can't hide anything from good ole Duo! You have to admit, I am one of your best pals."

Relena gave him a small smirk.

Duo grinned, "There's my girl. Now come on let me guess what it is…does it have to do with a certain Gundam Pilot?"

"Duo…" warned Relena.

"I knew it! You are in love with Heero Yuy!"

Relena looked at him baffled, "I am not in love with…"

"Denial! That's the first step to being in love!"

"And you would know this because…"

Duo held up a hand for her to be silent. He reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. Flipping it open, Duo pulled out a picture of a young woman with short blue hair.

"That's my Hilde," he said as he smiled.

Relena smiled, "You're in love wit her?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," smiled Duo as he put his wallet away. "It didn't happen all at once, Relena, it took some time. But, I see the way you look at him. I've never seen anyone care for him as much as you."

Relena bowed her head, "Duo I am so confused. So many things are happening so fast. I don't even know if it's possible anymore…"

Duo put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to look at him, "You know he is human, Relena, we have both seen it. He is capable of love."

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, "Oh Duo, it just doesn't makes sense anymore. We have known each other for so long and now this…"

Duo looked at her confused, "Now what?"

"Nothing," said Relena as she shook her head, wiping away the tears.

Duo looked at her with concerned eyes, "Relena, did something happen between you and Heero?"

Relena looked at him with eyes that told the whole story. Duo's face fell, and slowly he understood.

000

A few days later, and Heero was still under Wufei's protection. Much to the stoic pilot's dismay, Wufei remained with Heero day and night, following him around everywhere he went. At times when he was growing really agitated, Heero locked himself in his office before Wufei had the chance to follow him in and sit down.

After a week had passed, Heero felt himself going crazy. There was still no word on the man who had broken into his home and threatened him. Each day, Heero worked furiously to find anything on the man at all. Still the same result came about everyday…nothing.

One morning, Heero was watching the surveillance videos, on the day of the attack, over again. When a knock came to his door, Heero paused the video on the man's image and shouted for his visitor to enter. In strolled Duo with a unusually dull expression on his face. Heero looked at him quizzically.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

Duo frowned, "Heero, how long has it been since you last spoke with Relena?"

Heero sighed. He had not forgotten about Relena or what happened the other night, but he had been so engrossed in his work that there was no time to think about it, "Not since last week, why?"

"She seems distressed and I figured you were the only one who could understand." Duo moved to sit down in a chair and propped his feet up on the desk.

Heero looked at him warily and glared, "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing, I told you she just seems upset that's all."

Heero sighed and sat down, turning the video back on. He watched as the young man moved across the camera. Excellent training, no doubt, one of the best assassins Heero had ever seen.

Duo rolled his eyes and switched the video off. Heero glared at him sharply, "Why did you do that?"

"Because we need to talk," demanded Duo as he stood on his feet.

"Duo, I really don't have time right now…"

"It won't take long," Duo retorted roughly.

"What's this about?" demanded Heero.

"You and Relena," said Duo sharply. "Why haven't you talked to her?"

"I have been temporarily off assignment, Duo."

"That's not what I mean."

"Then, what do you mean?"

"Heero, she told me what happened between you two."

Heero snapped his head up sharply. He glared at Duo, "It is none of your concern, Duo."

"Relena is my friend, Heero. When she is hurting it is my concern. Why haven't you talked to her?"

Heero sighed, running his fingers through his unruly hair, "There has been a lot on my mind with the break in the other day, Duo. I haven't forgotten about her, I just need to take care of things first before I can take care of Relena and I."

"Then you do care about her?" began Duo.

"Of course I care," said Heero. "I didn't mean for it to happen the other night, but it did. I can't take it back now."

"You regret it then…"

"No," said Heero, "well I don't know. I am just confused right now."

"Heero…"

"We are done discussing this," said the former Zero Pilot angrily as he sat down.

Duo felt his anger rising, "Don't be a fool, Heero Yuy. Anyone can see that the girl is in love with you!"

Heero slammed his fist on his desk and stood up, "Stay out of it Duo! I don't need to think about this right now!"

"You mean you don't _want_ to think about it!" retorted Duo angrily. "Listen Heero, you took something away from Relena that can never be replaced. The least you can do is explain yourself. If you don't want to be with the girl, then tell her, don't make her wait and wonder. You've already done enough damage!"

Duo stormed out of the office. Heero angrily threw some papers onto the floor and sat down in a huff. What did Duo know about his feelings? What did anyone know at all?

000

AN: Okay that is it for this chapter. Hope that you enjoyed it all! Next up , chapter 4, the mystery will start to unravel more.

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	4. Apologies

AN: Here we go…

000

Hayden stormed into the office angrily. The secretary yelled at him for coming unannounced, but he shot her a death glare that made her shut up immediately. The man sitting at the desk took no notice towards Hayden's unruly temper, he simply stared at the young man.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

Hayden glared, "You promised me that I could go back through the portal to take care of things. Why are you delaying the mission?"

The man behind the desk sighed, "I want you to calm down."

"Calm down?" exclaimed Hayden angrily. "You only make me more anxious by keeping me here! If I knew how to work that blasted thing on my own, I would have had the job finished two weeks ago!"

"My boy, the bottom line is that this is _personal_ for you," warned the man. "I do not doubt your abilities as an assassin, but I do become fearful when it comes to a man's emotions. You are a very emotional man, Hayden, like it or not. If I were to send you in now, you would get yourself killed."

Hayden slammed his fist on the desk, "We are running out of time! The rebels are regrouping as we speak! Who knows what sort of plan, Yuy, has in store right now."

"We have time," said the man, "just be patient. I will send for you in a couple of days. Do not worry about Yuy. We have the layout plans to the Gundams, thanks to you, should this mission fall apart… should you fail."

"I will not fail," growled Hayden as he marched out of the office.

000

Heero made his way into Commander Une's office. He saluted, and stood at ease when she waved him off.

"Heero, you know that I do not require the usual protocol with you and the others. How can I help you?"

Heero cleared his throat, "It's been two weeks since the threat. Nothing has happened. I was wondering if I could be reassigned to my usual post."

The head of the Preventers sighed, "Heero, I know that sitting in your office makes you crazy, but you have to trust me on this. If you are still in danger, and take up your position as guard detail again, you will be putting the Vice Foreign Minister at risk as well. It is not possible. Until we know who this guy is and what happened to him, you will remain where you are. I know office work is not your specialty, but what else am I to do with you?"

"Place in charge of finding this man," said Heero.

Une nodded, "If I know you, Heero Yuy, you have already started a personal crusade. Staying up late at night watching surveillance videos, looking through records, examining fingerprints and other forms of DNA identification…"

"I need to know," interrupted Heero. "You know how important those plans are my laptop are; they are in the wrong hands, Une, this could be disastrous."

Commander Une leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples, "I know, it's almost too much to think about right now. Tell me what you have found so far."

Heero nearly shrugged his shoulders, "To be quite accurate, nothing. It's as Wufei was saying, it's almost as if the man doesn't exist."

"What about the DNA test?" asked Une.

Heero nodded, "His fingerprints are not on record, as for other specimens, we are not sure yet. I sent over a hair sample we found to the lab the other day, but they said they found nothing."

"What are you going to do?" asked Une.

"Wufei and I are going to the lab later this week when they release the sample, I will try to find out more then."

"Heero, what makes you think that you will find anything on him if our best forensics team can't?"

Heero glared at her, "I will find him." With that, he turned and marched out of the room.

000

Wufei and Heero worked late into the evening that night in the lab. Wufei was ready to tell his stoic companion it was time to call it quits.

"Heero, we are not going to find anything that the forensics team has not already found…."

"What about the DNA sampling?" interrupted Heero. "As far as we know, this guy has no record of existence, but what about family members? He did not come out of thin air."

Wufei rolled his eyes and stared at his watch. It was two o'clock in the morning. "Heero, I'll have Sally look into it in the morning. Right now, we have other things we need to worry about, like what group wants to gain control of the Gundams."

Heero sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was not usually this tense, but two years of becoming human had really taken its toll on him. So much to think about. The Gundams were in the wrong hands and he couldn't figure out who. Nothing like this had ever happened before. He had slipped up when carelessly leaving his laptop at home. He was losing it. Becoming more human was nothing more than a burden. He was better off remaining the Perfect Soldier he had trained to be.

Heero stood up and stormed out of the forensics lab. Wufei followed him calmly. The base was pretty much deserted except for the third shift security detail. As he passed some lower ranking Preventers, they saluted Heero, but he brushed them off. He was not in the mood for protocol.

Half an hour later, Heero and Wufei left the base and headed for Heero's apartment. The former Perfect Soldier had now grown use to the idea of a temporary roommate and seeing as he had no choice, allowed Wufei to stay with him overnight, sleeping on the sofa. Heero shuddered to think about what it might have been like to live with Duo Maxwell for two weeks. He could sometimes hardly stand his cheerful companion for two minutes.

000

Another week passed, and things were uneventful. Relena was on her usual work routine, but this time she went on her rounds with Duo as her companion. The two of them were becoming good friends. Relena enjoyed his cheerful company, admitting to herself that it was a nice change next to Heero's stoic manner. But, secretly, Relena longed to be near her former bodyguard once more.

Duo, who was use to striking up conversations with anyone he met, chattered happily while he and Relena drove around in her car. Relena laughed at his antics. She could see why the others grew annoyed with him at times, but that was just how Duo was. Sometimes, he liked to be annoying.

One day, as Relena was coming out of a meeting, she thought she noticed a pair of Prussian blue eyes in the crowd. Anxiously looking around, Relena sighed when she discovered her mind was playing tricks on her.

Duo noticed her agitation, "You're looking for him again aren't you?"

Relena looked somewhat baffled. Were her actions that obvious? She had hardly said a word about Heero in three weeks. She had still not spoken to him.

"I just thought I recognized someone," she said simply.

Duo shrugged, "Whatever you say, princess! My guess is that you are missing your former bodyguard," he concluded as they jumped in the car.

Relena looked annoyed, "Duo…"

"Hey don't get upset! I'm just stating the obvious!" he exclaimed holding up his hands in surrender.

She couldn't help but crack a small smile.

Duo put his hands down and looked at her seriously, "Have you talked to him yet, since that night?"

Relena looked at him and hung her head. She wound her hands nervously around one another, "No."

Duo's eyes grew dark, "I see," he said bitterly.

They were now on their way to Preventers headquarters. Relena was going on one of her routine visits with Commander Une. Hopefully this time, she would get in and out without any incidents.

The car stopped and Duo opened the door for Relena. The young woman stepped out, praying secretly in heart that she would just happen to run into Heero while she was there.

000

"Preventer Zero, Commander Une request that you and Fire report to conference room A immediately. The Vice Foreign Minister is here for her meeting."

Heero nodded to the private he stood in his office and saluted. The private left. Heero stood and Wufei nodded, following him to the conference room.

Heero nearly shook his head. This would be the first time he would see Relena in over three weeks. Duo's words rang through his ears.

…_you took something away from Relena that can never be replaced._

There was no doubt in Heero's mind that he cared a great deal about Relena, but was it really love? Was this was humans were suppose to feel? Heero thought back to that night for the first time since it had happened. Her body had been smooth and perfect. The sound of her gasping breath echoed in his ears. He had craved her that night and asked her for everything. She gave it to him willingly, but at what cost?

He muttered himself for a fool as he walked in the conference room. Positioning himself in the corner, Heero watched as Relena walked in.

She tried to avoid his gaze, but their eyes locked immediately. Heero had almost forgotten had beautiful she was in person. Why hadn't he spoken to her in so long? He was a fool.

Heero listened as Commander Une read off the reports to Relena. As usual, Relena listened politely and asked question now and then. But, Heero could tell that she was struggling with something inwardly. He could see it in her eyes. They weren't sparkling.

When the meeting was over, Commander Une stood up and left abruptly, explaining that she had another meeting to attend to. Relena thanked her and everyone emptied out, except for the Vice Foreign Minister and her former bodyguard.

Relena stared at Heero from across the room and locked her eyes on the floor. Heero began to approach her. Out of the corner of his eye, Heero noticed Duo motioning for Wufei to exit the room with him.

Relena looked up at him, "Hello, Heero, how are you doing?"

Heero nodded, "Fine."

"I am glad that you are well," she said shakily.

They stood there in awkward silence for a few moments. Heero stared at her with those piercing blue eyes, trying to think of what to say.

"I missed you," she said suddenly, "I wish you would have called me, but I know you have been busy…"

"Relena," he began.

"No," she interrupted, "you don't have to explain yourself Heero. I understand. I just don't know what I expected that's all. I have to go…" she said as she began to pack up her things and walk towards the door.

Heero grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. "Relena," was all he could mutter.

She stared at him with her bright sapphire eyes. He could see that he had hurt her. He had promised to protect her from pain, but he was the one who inflicted it on her.

"I care about you, Relena. More than I have ever cared about anyone in my life."

Her eyes widened at his words, "Then why did you leave me?"

Heero shook his head, "I had no choice. I have been temporarily reassigned and I can't tell you why. But, Relena, believe me when I say that it could prove to be dangerous to be with me right now."

"Heero…" she said somewhat shocked.

"Don't ask me questions. It's better if you don't know," he warned her.

She nodded her head in understanding. Heero looked at her, still holding onto her arm.

"I am truly sorry that I did not talk to you. I don't like to see you hurt."

"I'm fine," she declared shaking her head.

"Relena, I know you have not been fine. Duo told me that you have been upset."

Relena looked at him speechless. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Just where was this conversation leading?

"Heero," she began, "I am not going to lie to you, saying that the other night did not mean something to me, because truthfully…it was the most wonderful night of my life," she nearly sobbed. "But if that is all we will ever have, then I hate to think of what…"

"Relena," he interrupted, "there is more. Believe me when I say that. I just didn't know what to do. Especially after what's been going on here at Preventers. Other things just seemed to disappear from my mind."

Relena could feel her body growing very hot. Her head was spinning but her heart was leaping. He did care about her. He had just said so.

"Relena, it's dangerous for you to fall in love with me," he said quietly.

"I know," she muttered. "But I'm willing to take that chance, Heero." Relena tried to maintain her composure, but suddenly her body felt like it was going to collapse. She barely heard Heero's next words.

"I don't want to hurt you, Relena."

She snapped her head up trying to hold onto the conversation, "You hurt me more by staying away."

Heero could not contain himself any longer. He drew her close to him and hugged her tightly. Relena held onto him, but suddenly felt like she was going to be sick. She let go and backed away roughly.

"Relena what is it?" he asked.

She tried to walk towards the door, but the room was spinning. She felt her body begin to fall.

Heero caught her up in his arms before she hit the ground. "Duo!" he yelled.

Immediately, the braided boy sprinted in the room. "Go get Sally!" barked Heero.

He lay her body on the floor. Wufei knelt next to him and took off his jacket, placing it over her legs. Heero did likewise, placing it over the upper half of her body.

"What happened?" asked Wufei.

"She's fainted," Heero said calmly. He felt Relena's face. "She has a fever," he muttered.

Duo rushed in moments later with the doctor. Heero jumped to his feet and grabbed Duo by the collar, "She's sick! What the hell is going on?"

"Geeze Heero, calm down," said Duo shrugging him off. "She hasn't complained all day. She's been fine up till now."

"Of course, she's been fine," barked Heero. "You know Relena would never miss a day of work in her life!"

"Heero calm down," said Sally. "It's probably just a flu bug and some stress related symptoms. She'll be fine."

Relena began to open her eyes slowly. She groaned a little.

"Relena," said Sally. "It's Sally, how do you feel honey?"

Relena moaned a little, "Nauseous."

Sally sighed, "She needs to get home and get some rest, Duo."

"I'll take her," said Heero as he picked up the girl into his arms.

"You're off duty Heero…" warned Wufei.

"I'm still the head of the Vice Foreign Minister's security. Disobey me and I will have you fired? Now, you can come with me or you can try and kill me."

Heero walked out of the room and Duo shrugged. "That guy cares about her a lot more than I thought."

"You baka," replied Wufei. "He is in love with her. A blind man could see that." The Chinese man walked out the door, following Heero.

Duo stood there dumbfounded and looked at Sally.

"Are you the only one out of the loop?" she smirked as she left.

000

Relena opened her eyes. She was in bed. Sitting up quickly, the young woman looked at the clock. It was five o'clock in the afternoon. Why was she in bed. She had meetings to go to and work to do.

"Lay down," said a voice.

Relena looked over to see Heero sitting in the armchair by the balcony window. "I have work to do…" she began.

"You're sick, just lie down. The rest of your daily activities have been cancelled."

His tone silenced her. She sank back down into her pillows and relaxed. Her head was spinning still and her face felt hot. Suddenly, she looked strangely at Heero.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said that it was dangerous right now."

Heero made no sign of emotion, "Some things are more important. My job is to take care of you Relena, first and foremost."

She sighed and closed her eyes trying to make her head stop wheeling.

"You still feel dizzy?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied softly.

Heero stood up and sat down beside her on the bed. She turned her gaze towards him and suddenly realized that he was there with her, in that room, taking care of her. Suddenly, she felt very foolish.

"Heero, I am sorry for everything."

"Why should you be apologizing?"

She shrugged, "I know a lot has been going on and the last thing you need to do is worry about me."

"Forget it," he said. "You need to eat something…"

"I'm not hungry," she replied. "I promise to eat in the morning."

"Relena…"

"Heero you should get home," she interrupted. "I'll be fine really. I am already feeling better. I'm just going to go back to sleep."

Heero nodded and exited the room.

Relena watched him go, then slowly drifted off back to sleep.

000

Another week later, Hayden marched back into the massive office. Only this time, his anger and agitation had been replaced by excitement and restlessness.

"You sent for me, sir?" asked Hayden as he saluted.

The man behind the desk turned around and smiled, "Yes. I am pleased to hear that your frustration has subsided and that you now have the clear head to go back. Promise me that you will not let things get out of hand again."

"They were never out of hand the first time," snorted Hayden.

"Of course…" replied the man quietly. "Take whatever precautions are necessary."

"I'll get the job done," replied Hayden as he headed towards the door.

"Hayden," called the man. The boy turned around and stared at him with cold eyes. The man spoke darkly, "I hope you fully understand the consequences of your actions."

Hayden bowed his head, "Life is not worth living unless you have something to die for. The consequences don't matter to me." He turned and left.

"It was nice knowing you," muttered the man.

000

Hayden was ready to go. The portal flashed brightly before him, and everyone in the control room stared in wonder. He was used to the portal by now, having traveled through it several times.

He muttered to himself some words of encouragement then darkly stepped into the light and disappeared.

From the corner of the control room, an extremely old man with white frizzy hair, watched frowning. This was not how it was supposed to be.

As the room full of people made their way out for the evening, no one noticed as the old man walked back into the control room. He was not the most respected individual within the base, but he was valuable. A prisoner of his own contraption, the old man sighed as he looked at the portal.

"What have I done?" he muttered to himself.

He walked behind the control panel, and punched in a few keys. Immediately, the portal turned on with its bright lights. The old man then slowly walked towards the portal.

Tucked underneath his arm was a package wrapped in brown paper. The old man looked at the package and sighed to himself again.

"This is for you, Heero Yuy," he said as he stepped through the portal into the unknown.

000

**AN: Are we started to become more confused, or more anxious to find out what's going on? I know the chapter was short, but bear with me it was a good place to end. The next chapter is coming!**

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	5. Darkness

An: Please don't hurt me I know that you have all been waiting for me to post and well…let's just do an update on my life real quickly. I am a freshman in college and I'm in nursing school none the less. It's the end of the year and things are piling on but I promised myself to get this story done because I love where it is going. Secondly, I am trying to work out an old relationship with a young man who I am still in love with and now that things are finally starting to smooth out and go well, I can finally focus on my writing. I cannot wait for summer to come because I will have time to actually write my stories. Anyways… hope you enjoy the chapter and please don't give up on me yet!

000

Relena spent the week after her illness in content. Heero had been reassigned, so he was near her everyday. She was glad to have him for company once more. Though the status of their relationship was still up in the air, she knew she had to be patient and give Heero time to sort out his feelings. He was not used to emotion and he needed to fully understand how he felt towards her before they could even think about starting a relationship together.

She was in her office one morning when she suddenly felt dizzy again. What was going on with her? Struggling to focus on her work, Relena tried to ignore the nausea riding up in her stomach.

Eventually she gave in to her fatigue and decided to take a break and lay down on the sofa a few feet away from her desk.

As she closed her eyes, the whole room began to spin. She groaned slightly as another wave of nausea hit her. She struggled to hold the contents of her stomach in. Suddenly, she heard the door to her office open.

Upon seeing her state, Heero frowned and walked over to her side. He noticed her shoot straight up into a sitting position and try to smooth out the wrinkles in her suit. He storde over to her and sat down beside her.

"Is something wrong, Relena?" he asked.

She waved him off, "I'm fine, I just have a slight headache and decided to lay down for a few minutes."

She stood up and turned to look at him. "Can I help you Heero?"

He stood and walked over in front of her. He stared down at her small figure. He towered over her, and he wondered how she seemed so fragile to him. "You have a lunch date with the

Secretary of L2," he stated deeply.

Relena nearly gagged at the thought of food at such a time. "Yes…let me get my purse."

Heero noticed her reaction to his statement and watched her curiously as she crossed the room over towards her desk. Her purse was lying on the floor and as she bent over to pick it up, another wave of nausea suddenly hit her. Her head was spinning and Heero walked over to her and caught her before she hit he ground.

"Relena what is going on?"

She struggled to make out his words. "I guess I'm still feeling a little sick that's all," she said.

Heero frowned at her statement. "I'm canceling your lunch date and taking you over to see Sally."

"Heero no! I can't possibly miss another meeting!"

"Relena you will miss a lot more if you do not take care of your health first."

Before she could say anything else, Heero had picked up the phone and was calling her secretary.

She leaned against her desk for support and decided to give up the fight. Heero Yuy always won.

000

When they got to Preventers, Heero took Relena to the infirmary immediately. Sally greeted them, slightly surprised.

"Relena, I was not expecting to see you today. Do we have a lunch date that I might have missed?"

"Examine her Sally, she's sick," said Heero curtly.

"I am not sick," insisted Relena. "I am simply still recovering from my episode last week. It is nothing to worry about."

Sally looked at her frowning. "I think I had better check you out just to be safe."

"Sally…"protested Relena.

"No buts," said Heero as he moved out of the room.

Relena watched him go through the corridor. She turned and looked at Sally. "I am fine really, I just had a dizzy spell earlier."

"Nevertheless, a flu bug should not last so long. Hop up on the table and we'll get started."

Relena sighed and obeyed, sitting on the examination table. The doctor took out her stethoscope and listening to Relena's heart.

"So things are going well between you and Heero I take it?"

Relena looked at her wryly. "How did you…"

"Oh I am not blind after your little fainting episode last week. Besides, Maxwell has a big mouth. He let a few things slip."

Relena's eyes widened at the comment. Sally took notice and laughed. "Oh don't worry, Relena, he did not give any details. What goes on between you and Heero behind closed doors is your business and no one else's. But, I believe you just gave yourself away."

Sally motioned for Relena to lay down. Relena did so and Sally began to palpate her abdomen for any abnormalities. Relena sighed, "I didn't know things would happen so fast…"

Sally smiled, "Isn't this what you have always dreamed of though? I know you have loved Heero for a very long time."

"Yes.. I suppose I have. But we are not together…"

"Then what are you?" asked Sally.

"I do not know," sighed Relena.

"Well, when you figure tall out let me know," said Sally. "You can sit up now."

"What is the diagnoses?" asked Relena.

"I think you are fine but your spleen felt a little enlarged. It could be mononucleosis, a sometimes stress induced illness. I want to do some blood wok just to be sure."

"That is fine," muttered Relena as she held out her arm.

Sally smiled and took out a rubber tunicate along with a needle and several vials for Relena's blood. A knock was heard on the door and Heero entered shortly after.

"What's going on?" asked Heero at the sight of the vials.

"I just want to do some blood work to rule some things out. It is nothing serious. If you ask me she is in perfectly good health, just under a bit of stress."

Heero nodded, "When you are done Relena, Commander Une wishes a word with you since you are in the building."

"Very, well," muttered the young woman. Relena sighed and winced slightly as she felt the needle enter her vein. She diverted her attention to the window and stared out at the dark storm clouds looming towards the base.

"It looks as if it might rain," she said softly.

Heero nodded, "We've been issued a severe thunderstorm warning. I suspect it should be here shortly."

Relena nodded in understanding.

"Well, you're done," said Sally as she withdrew the last vial.

Relena nodded and stood up slightly woozy. Heero held onto her arm slightly and she nodded her thanks.

"I'll have the results in for you by the end of the day. I'll call you tonight at home if that is alright?"

"Yes, it's fine, thank you Sally."

Heero walked Relena through the base to Commander Une's office. He studied her face carefully as they moved. Her pallor was pale and her eyes were unusually dull.

The sound of thunder shook the base slightly, but they did not pay it any mind. It was spring and thunderstorms were not unusual this time of year.

Heero's cell phone rang and he answered it, "Zero," he said curtly. He listened for a moment. "I will tell her."

"What is it?"

"Une wishes for us to meet her in the main hangar."

"The hanger? What ever for?"

"Everyone in the base has been summoned there for an urgent meeting. As to what it is about I

cannot tell you right now. They are only waiting for you to arrive."

"What could it be about?"

"I'm not sure…" said Heero as another clap of thunder echoed through the sky. That was when the lights went out.

Heero stopped suddenly and grabbed Relena's arm.

"Heero what's going on?" whispered Relena fiercely in the dark.

"We must have had a power surge from the storm. The back up system will kick in in a moment don't worry."

She nodded but she sensed something strange in the tone of his deep voice. Her eyes were becoming adjusted to the dark and she could see him slowly move his hand to his gun.

The thunder rolled outside and Heero felt an eerie feeling creep over him. There was silence in the base, a deathly calm, like the one that occurs right before the storm.

"Heero, what happened to everyone? Why is the base so quiet?" whispered Relena fiercely.

So, she had noticed it too. However, he did not answer her. Taking her hand into his and holding his gun in the other, Heero inched his way down the hallway.

The sound of footsteps ahead of them caused Heero to stop suddenly. Relena froze, and as she did, felt a wave of nausea hit her. She ground and felt herself start to become dizzy. Her body began to sway and without having to say anything, Heero picked her up into his arms, his gun still ready to fire.

"Heero…" she whispered.

"Stay quiet, Relena," he ordered.

She did as she was told and let herself fall as the dizziness consumed her once more.

Heero felt Relena slip away and go limp in his arms. She was ill, more so than she led on, of this he was sure. He carried her carefully and quietly as he made his way towards the sound of the footsteps.

The footsteps suddenly came around a corner and a flashlight appeared. Heero shielded his eyes but took comfort at the sight of Duo Maxwell.

"Heero! What the hell happened?" cried the braided young man as he stared at Relena.

"She's sick. What's going on? Why is the power out?"

Duo shrugged, "At first we thought it was just the storm, but when maintenance checked it out, they discovered that someone cut our line."

"You mean…"

"Someone is infiltrating this building and I don't know how the hell they are doing it," Duo said gravely. "We were all gathered in the hanger when it happened. Une called an emergency meeting and was waiting on the Vice Foreign Minister to arrive when the power went out. We waited but nothing kicked back on. So, she sent out several teams to check it out. I was sent to find you guys. Something isn't right, Heero. I'm getting a bad feeling about all this."

Heero frowned, "What could Une possibly have to say with such importance?"

"No one was briefed. Not even Sally or Wufei. I told you, something is wrong."

Thunder clapped loudly. Heero felt Relena stir against his chest. He stared down at her. Suddenly and idea hit him.

"Duo we have to get Relena out of this building immediately."

"What? Why?"

"Think about it. The past two times this base has been infiltrated, Relena was present on both accounts. Someone I watching her and watching her well."

"Do you think it was that soldier boy who threatened you a few weeks back?"

"I'm almost certain. He's here right now, he is the only one with the skill to break in again. He's after her Duo and he wants something from her, I just don't know what it is yet. He already took the layout plans for the Gundams, we can't let him have her as well."

A gunshot fired in the distance behind them and the two young men turned around sharply. Thunder rolled and lightning flashed outside.

"He's found us…" whispered Duo.

"Heero?" moaned Relena as she woke from her dizzy spell.

He looked down at her. Her eyes were confused and wide. Gently he placed her on her feet.

"Duo kill the light."

Duo did as he was told. Relena gripped onto Heero's hand tightly and looked around.

"What's happening?" she cried.

Heero looked at her and held her shoulders. "Can you walk alright Relena?"

"I…I think so."

"You are going to go with Duo then, he needs to get you to the hanger and out of the base."

Three more gunshots rang out in the darkness behind them. He was getting closer now.

"What about you?" she cried.

"Don't worry about me just go."

"Come on," ordered Duo as he grabbed her hand, pulling her along in the darkness.

Hayden heard them ahead of him before they knew it. Their whispered voices of urgencies ringing in his ears. Heero Yuy was just up ahead and he would get his revenge one way or another. He life did not matter any more. All that mattered was the mission. The mission is what was important.

He had already taken down several Preventers. The darkness was his friend and he blended in with the shadows well. He had taken the officers by surprise. They had not even heard him coming.

Hayden smirked. He would kill Heero Yuy and then he would finally be at peace with himself. Focus on the mission, that was all he had to do. It was the only thing left to do.

He was right by them now. They did not even know that he was right behind them. He watched in the darkness as a young woman was whisked away by Yuy's friend. So, she was there with him again. This woman that he held such affection for. Who was she? And what was her significance to the Preventers and to Heero Yuy's life? Hayden still had yet to clearly see her face. From his understanding, she was the Vice Foreign Minister to the ESUN. The ESUN did not exist anymore though. Not in his world.

Shrugging thoughts of the young woman aside. Hayden continued his approach upon the unknowing Heero Yuy. He was so close now. If he wanted to he could just reach out and touch him. Silence is golden though. And with that Hayden raised his gun and began to pull the trigger.

Goodbye, Heero Yuy.

A shot was fired.

000

Relena froze when she heard that shot. Time stopped and she slowly felt her heart screaming and yelling for her to stop running._ Heero…_

Duo looked behind them with worried eyes and a pale face. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong he could feel it in his blood. They did not call him the God of Death during the Eve Wars for nothing.

Looking behind him, Duo took Relena's arm and began to run with the young woman.

"Duo, something's happened to Heero!" she cried suddenly in the darkness of the base.

"Relena, just run!" cried Duo. He could hear footsteps behind him.

Relena sensed his urgency and ran to keep up with his pace. She too began to hear the footsteps and though the dizziness was beginning to set in again she pushed herself to keep going.

Suddenly Duo stopped and knelt down on the ground taking aim wit his gun. He screamed to her,

"Keep going!"

"Duo, I can't!" she cried terrified.

"Damn it Relena, run and run for your life!" he cried as he started to fire into the darkness behind them.

Relena nearly screamed as thunder shook the building once more but she took off obeying his words. She blindly fumble through the darkness, not knowing which way to go. The corridors of the Preventers base contained no windows and all the doors she tried to get into were locked. She desperately tried to remember which way the main hanger was. But the darkness consumed her and the more turns she took, the more lost she felt.

A wave of nausea was beginning to hit her and this time she gave in. She fell to her knees, so overwhelmed by her sickness that she did not even hear him come upon her. As she silently spit up the contents of her stomach, Relena could feel a cold chill wash over her. Someone was behind her.

Don't move, she told herself, _not yet. He doesn't think that you can sense him but you do. Wait until the right moment then run for your life. If they are looking for you then they want you alive not dead. If they wanted you dead they would have killed you long ago_, she told herself.

Breathing heavily, the young woman struggled to catch her breath as she sensed the silence coming near her. She knew she was being too loud for her own good, breathing heavily and vomiting at such a time when she needed the darkness to be her friend, but she could not help it now.

"Who are you?" asked a voice out of the darkness.

The question surprised her. She was expecting him to either shoot her immediately or take her prisoner. Yet, this intruder did not even know her title or position. She decided to cooperate. Maybe he was not looking for her after all. She would take that chance…

Relena rose to her feet not daring to turn around and see who the intruder was. Besides, it was too dark to make out any facial features. She slowly raised her hands above her head.

"My name is Relena Darlian. I am the Vice Foreign Minister to the ESUN."

"The ESUN," sniffed the man in a deep voice. "Let me be the first one to say that you are wasting your time."

Relena did not respond. She simply stayed still, reflecting on his last comment, while at the same time, trying to focus on her next move. What was he waiting for?

"What do you want from me?" she asked quietly. She could tell the man was walking around her in circle now even though they still could not see each other clearly for the darkness. Outside, the storm still rolled on.

"I want you to tell me about Heero Yuy and the extent of your relationship with him," stated the man coldly.

Relena frowned. What did this man want from Heero? What was she to tell him?

"What have you done to him?" she asked.

"That is none of your concern," stated the man coldly. The phrase sounded all too familiar. "now," he continued, "tell me what you know."

"Mr. Yuy is my bodyguard and nothing more," she said calmly.

She could hear he man sniff in the darkness. He was behind her again only this time he placed the barrel of his gun against her back. Relena went stiff with fear but held her ground.

"My death will be of no consequence," she said with her eyes towards the ground. "You will accomplish nothing by killing me."

"Don't think too highly of yourself," spat the man as thunder shook the base once more.

"What do you want from us?" asked Relena.

She waited for his answer but the darkness did not reply. Suddenly, she realized she was alone again. The man had left.

Confused, but breathing a sigh of relief, Relena struggled to see ahead of her. She could not make out where she was and the fear in her heart ceased to leave her alone. That man had gotten past both Heero and Duo. She shuddered to thin about what had happened to her two friends. She silently said a prayer for the best

She jumped at the crack of thunder that erupted next. Dizziness swelled upon her body once more and she struggled to move onward. What was wrong with her? It did not matter. All she had to do was find the main hanger. She would be safe there.

The sound of footsteps coming towards her made her freeze. Was that man coming back to kill her? No, it didn't make sense. Why would he when he already had the chance? Still she was fearful and struggled to contain herself as they drew near her.

Go away and leave me alone…she cried to self. She was growing dizzier by the minute. Breathing heavily, Relena struggled to move onward, but the darkness had her confused and bewildered.

She screamed when the hand grabbed her roughly from behind. She struggled against her captor but her growing dizziness and despair made her weak. She struck out blindly, the blackness not allowing her to see what was happening. She only sought to fight for her life, to escape.

"Relena!"

The voice made her stop and se fell to her knees sobbing. "Heero?"

He knelt down on the ground next to her and held her close. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that she was safe in his arms.

"We have to move, Relena, I need to get you out of here."

She shook her head, "Heero he is not after me."

"What do you mean?"

"Heero listen to me…"

She was cut short when the power turned back on. Both of them shielded their eyes for a moment, adjusting to the bright light of the white corridor. As soon as Relena looked at Heero, her eyes went wide with horror.

"Heero, you're hurt!"

Indeed, his Preventers uniform was soaked in blood. She noticed no sign of pain in his eyes, but she could tell he was hurting on the inside. A soldier never cried, and Heero Yuy was the perfect Soldier.

"It's nothing," he replied numbly. "Let's go."

000

Commander Une paced back and forth in the infirmary. Twenty good Preventers had died that day. Twenty of her best. And all from the likes of one man. He was perfect in his technique and his approach. Twice, he had broken into their compound, taking them by surprise, Not once, but twice. She would never hear the end of it from the ESUN. At least Relena was still alive and had not been hurt…

Commander Une stared at the sleeping Duo Maxwell. He had been knocked unconscious, much to his dismay, and had still not wakened. A lump, the size of a small city, was growing on the side of his forehead.

"He'll be fine," said Sally.

"And Heero?" asked Lady Une.

"You know Heero," sighed Sally. "he suffered a gunshot wounded to the right upper quadrant of his back. He was lucky…_again._ But, I'm sure he'll be back on the job tomorrow."

Une shook her head. "This is ridiculous she muttered."

"Tell me about it," Sally said sarcastically as she made her way out of the room.

Meanwhile, Relena attended to Heero as he sat up on his cot.

"You really should lie down," she instructed him.

"Hn," was his only reply as he stood up to put on a clean shirt.

Relena rose to help him as his right shoulder was in a sling. Heero grunted his thanks and sat down again.

"Heero," Relena started. "I thought he had killed you. How did you escape?"

He was quiet for some time before he replied to her, "To be honest Relena…I'm not sure." She looked at him shocked but he continued, "He snuck up on me….I didn't even hear him coming even though I expected to. He shot me, but the darkness was the only thing that saved my life…I don't thin he could see me very well as trained as he may be…"

"You slipped away?"

"Barely," he muttered coldly. "Because I knew he was after you and I knew I had to stay alive to get to you…" he was quiet for a moment longer. "When he couldn't find me again, he started to run towards the direction you and Duo had taken. I followed him for a while until I heard Duo's gun go off…I feared the worst, but when I got there, you had disappeared."

"Duo told me to run away…"

"Yes," interrupted Heero. "I found him lying unconscious. I chased after you but you took so many twists and turns it was hard to tell which direction you took."

"I didn't know where I was going," Relena smiled gently. "I just ran like Duo told me to."

"He didn't find you…that's all that matters."

Relena looked at Heero sharply, "Heero, he did…"

"Relena I need to speak with you for a moment," said Sally as she entered the room.

Heero looked at her with questioning eyes, but Relena squeezed his hand and followed sally out the door.

"What is it Sally?" she asked.

Sally led her to an empty room, closed the door, and pulled the blinds on the window. She motioned for the young woman to sit down.

"The results o your blood work just came in."

"And…"

"We need to talk," Sally stated gravely.

Relena's face fell, "What is it? Is my condition serious?"

Sally shook her head, "Yes, Relena, it's quite serious."

Tears began to swell up in Relena's eyes and her mind raced. "What is it?" she asked meekly.

"Relena…you're pregnant."

000

Heero had moved to Duo's room to sit beside him. Wufei was there also. Though he did not always agree with his annoying friend, Duo Maxwell was still his companion.

Duo stirred and slowly opened his eyes, "What happened?" he groaned.

"You were knocked unconscious baka," spat Wufei. "Next time, wear a helmet."

Duo sat up slowly, "Uh, it feels like Heero pistol whipped me."

Heero could not help but smirk slightly.

Wufei sighed and turned to look at Heero, "What is your plan of action?"

Heero did not reply. Instead, he turned his attention to a knock on the door.

"Enter," muttered Wufei.

In walked a frail old man carrying a heavy brief case with him. His frazzled gray hair and wide eyes made Heero stand up immediately. The old man closed the door and looked at his former pupil with admiration.

Heero nearly stuttered, "Dr. J…"

That's it! Hope you enjoyed! Please review! Next chapter will be along ASAP!

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	6. This is Life

**I am almost afraid to post this chapter because I know people have been waiting for literally months to receive it. So you guys can just string me up by my noose right now I am so sorry but don't worry the story will be finished. School just started again and I took classes all summer and on top of that my computer decided to break down on me for a very long time. Yes, I have been extremely busy. Nursing school is not easy and it is so hard to find time to do anything that I really enjoy doing. So here it is enjoy it will be done soon!**

Relena sat frozen in horror as Sally watched her.

"Relena, did you hear me?"

"Yes….yes I heard you Sally…I'm just not quite sure what to say…"

Sally shook her head, "How could you have been so careless Relena?" she demanded. "You have priorities, you have duties to uphold! This could cost you your whole career as well as Heero's!"

The doctor marched across the room. "What are you going to do?"

"I do not know," Relena said in disbelief.

A knock came on the door. "Who is it?" asked Sally.

"It's your Commander!"

"Enter!"

Commander Une entered the room, frowning at the two other women. "What is going on in here? Sally you said you needed to speak with me on a matter concerning Relena?"

Relena looked away in anger. She was not in the mood to be lectured, there was too much on her mind…

Sally sighed, "It appears that the Vice Foreign Minister is expecting."

The look of shock that crossed the head of the Preventers face was priceless. "But…how can this be? Relena? Please explain yourself at once."

Tears welled up in Relena's eyes. All at once she felt like she was back to being ten years old again…powerless…intimidated… "I'm sorry…" she finally managed to choke out.

"Who is the father?" demanded Une.

Sally looked over to Relena. Relena simply shook her head and looked away. Sally turned back to Une. "Heero Yuy is the father of this child."

Une's face fell slightly but she held her ground. "Very well…" she muttered. "The Vice Foreign Minister's guard detail will double and Heero Yuy will be dismissed from her entourage…"

"What?" cried Relena in horror.

"Relena, I will not permit him to be your escort any longer. He broke the Preventers code of conduct. The punishment will fit the crime and even though Heero Yuy is one of the finest soldiers we have, this event will not be ignored."

"But you can't!" cried Relena.

"His emotions must not interfere with his duties!"

"There must be some other way!" insisted the poor girl. She was beginning to feel dizzy again.

"There will be no exceptions…"

Relena grabbed her head and tried to control the spinning room. Sally stepped forward and held out her hand to the young woman.

"Relena," she said softly. "Take my hand, you need to lie down."

"No!" she screamed. Her knees gave in and she sank to the ground in a heap of sobs. Sally moved to help her, but Une held out her hand.

"Give her some time on her own to think things over. Yuy, will not be notified until then." She walked out of the room.

Sally moved to follow her but paused at the door, looking back at Relena.

"Relena…" she began.

"Leave me!" she cried through her tears.

Sally closed the door.

0000

"What are you doing here?" demanded Heero.

The old man stared at Heero with inquisitive eyes. They watched as he sat himself down in a chair by the door.

Wufei took a step forward, his hand moving towards his gun. "Must I reiterate Yuy's question?"

"No need for intimidation, Mr. Chang," said Dr. J quietly. "I am here strictly on business…and it looks o me as if you could use an old man's help."

Duo stared at the mad scientist appearance and frowned. True it had been some time since they had last laid eyes on the strange inventor, but it did not account for the number of years it appeared that the old man had aged.

"Excuse me for the intrusion," Duo said light heartedly, "but do you mind if I ask you wy you look so…so…so much _older_? I mean I know it's been a little while but, man I didn't think that it has been _that_ long."

"Because, Duo Maxwell," replied the scientist. "It has been 'that' long since I saw you last. Fifteen years to be exact."

"I'm not following this," frowned Duo.

"I have come to you with very important information regarding you intruder."

"We're listening…" said Wufei darkly as he leaned against the wall.

"First off" said Dr. J, "I believe this belongs to you Heero, my boy." he pulled out a case and handed it to Heero.

Heero glanced at the case and opened it. In his hands was his laptop, safe and unharmed. "Where did you find this?"

"It was delivered to me. It was placed in my care with strict orders that it never leave my hands. But, now it belongs to its rightful owner."

"Explain yourself," demanded Heero. "You are not the man I once knew."

"I am not, but at the same time I am the same. You see, I have come to you from the future in hopes of correcting a mistake that was made in the past."

"The future," sniffed Wufei. "I do not believe it, time travel is impossible."

"Nothing is impossible with a brilliant mind," stated Dr. J. "Some years from now, I will have created a powerful time traveling machine. I used that same machine to travel to you today, back to the past. You see me as a much older man because I am much older than when you last saw me."

"You came here from the future," said Duo slowly. "Right…and I'm from Crypton, you may call me Superman!"

"Shut up you baka!" exclaimed Wufei.

"What is your purpose here?" asked Heero.

"I am here to correct a horrible mistake that was made in the past," said Dr. J. "I am afraid the whole reason the future is so corrupt is my fault. This time machine enabled a very ordinary man to gain a massive amount of power. The future begins with the overall destruction and disbandment of the ESUN…"

"But how can the ESUN fall when it is so strong?" asked Duo.

"The future holds many things. The ESUN will fall and it will only take a matter of a few years to do so. Your lives will change forever. Some of you will be lost, some of you will be found. Either way, all of you are going to lose one of the most precious things in your life."

"How does the ESUN fall so quickly?" asked Wufei.

"All of its leaders were hunted down by this ordinary man I was speaking of. They were murdered in cold blood, while the others fled in terror. The rest of the world went under when the ESUN fell, while the Gundam Pilots were divided forever and struggled to unite the people once again."

"You said all the leaders of the ESUN were killed in the future?" Heero questioned.

Dr. J looked at Heero gravely, "Yes."

There was a silence that filled the room. All eyes were fixated on the strange scientist who had traveled so far to reach them. Duo's lips opened as he asked the question on everyone's mind,

"Even…Relena?"

Dr. J's eyes grew serious and he turned his gaze upon Duo and said sternly, "Yes, even Relena. She will be the first to die."

0000

Relena lay on the floor. She felt a sharp pain give rise in her gut. Struggling to breathe Relena grabbed onto the chair and cried out loud. Something was wrong. What was happening to her? Was this how her life was supposed to turn out? A young woman, unwed, expecting her first child. It was not how she had planned her life. The pain began to rise. It was sharper this time. Relena gasped out loud and struggled to rise to her feet. She fell to the floor again however, doubled up in pain. A sharper pain struck her now and her whole body trembled. She could not hold it in anymore, Relena screamed.

In the next room over Heero heard her before anyone else. Despite the startling news from Dr. J he leaped from his chair, threw open the door, and burst into her room.

The sight of her body crumpled up on the floor nearly made him sick. He rushed to her side and picked up her form. She was sobbing uncontrollably, clutching her abdomen.

"Relena, tell me what's wrong!" he cried.

Sally rushed into the room and knelt down beside him. "Put her on the bed right now!" ordered the doctor.

Heero did as he was told. Sally went to work immediately listening to Relena's abdomen and examining her. She peered over at Heero.

"Wufei, get him out of the room now!"

"What?" exclaimed Heero.

"I said remove Heero Yuy from this room this instant and get my team in here!"

"What the hell is going on with her?" demanded Heero. "Sally, tell me what is going on!"

"Get the hell out of here Yuy!" she cried angrily.

Wufei grabbed Heero and slowly brought him out of the room. Heero struggled with him.

"Yuy!"

Heero turned to face Commander Une. "Get into my office immediately!"

When they got in there, Une slammed the door and ordered him to sit down. "You will contain yourself, Heero Yuy!"

Heero sat silently and glared at her with his dark eyes.

"Do not jump into a situation of which you have not been briefed," Une began.

"Well maybe if you would have briefed me on the situation we would not be having this problem," Heero said coldly.

Une stared at him, "I will be blunt. From now on, you will no longer be serving on the Vice Foreign Minister's Guard detail. You will assume a new position and Duo Maxwell will take over yours."

Heero was silent as the grave. He glared at her questioningly. "What may I ask has brought upon this sudden change?"

"You have broken a very thin line that runs between the Preventers and the Vice Foreign Minister…"

"The relationship between Relena and I does not in any way interfere with my work…" Heero began.

"Look at what just happened!" exclaimed Une. "You lost control of your emotions just minutes ago and you dare sit here and tell me that you can handle the job! I think not."

Heero sat quietly, his anger burning deep inside of him. "I made my promise to protect her…"

"Well you can do it from afar! You have done enough already…"

"What do you mean?" asked Heero.

"Relena is pregnant, and the child is yours!"

0000

Sally walked out of the room and stared at Commander Une.

"Well?" asked the Head of the Preventers.

"She is resting comfortably," replied Sally.

"And the baby?"

Sally bowed her head, but nodded, "The baby is safe, but if Relena remains in this stressful atmosphere, I am afraid it will take its toll on her body. She is still just in the first trimester, it can be a dangerous time."

"Yes, I know."

"What of Heero?" asked Sally.

Une shook her head, "He disappeared from the room after I told him. I wasn't about to be the one to try and stop him either."

"Despite the fact that he has been dismissed from her guard detail, I think it vital that he remain a part of her life throughout this pregnancy. Relena will need it."

"I agree. I just don't know if Heero agrees. I did not even get a chance to talk things over with him."

"We cannot worry about just Heero and Relena right now. Commander, we have lost many men today and we need to figure out why."

"Yes, I know," mumbled Une as she rubbed her forehead. "I only wish I knew where to start."

000

"Heero!" called Duo. The former pilot of Deathsycthe struggled with his injuries as he made his way onto the roof of the Preventers Headquarters. E knew where the Perfect Soldier sought solitude from the world. He was the "best friend" for nothing. And there he was, standing in the darkness, on the roof's ledge staring silently at the ground below.

Duo approached him quietly, trying not to make his presence known.

"You should be resting," said Heero grimly as he turned to face him.

"I'll never know how you do that," replied Duo. "Come inside, man, we've been worried."

Heero did not reply, but simply turned around and took a step closer to the ledge.

"Heero, what are you doing, man? Stop this right now," Duo said desperately.

"Hn," was the only answer he received.

"Look," said Duo. "This isn't going to be easy for anyone right now, but each of us has to keep our priorities straight. Right now, your priority is to be near Relena. She needs your support and she needs your help."

Heero leaned forward slightly and looked down to the ground of the Preventers compound below. For years he had been distant from the world, no one would have really cared up until now…Was this life of his for real? Is this what they called living? To constantly be hound by drama and episodes that altered your very being? Father…he was going to be a father…he never even had a father himself. What exactly did a father do?

"Heero," Duo nearly sobbed, "please come on, just come down with me. It's going to be okay…you'll see."

Heero stepped away.

000

**AN: Yikes short I know! But it is a chapter and I'm going to start on another story soon too! I love my readers so much so please stick with me, I promise promise promise I will pull through for you guys! **


	7. Thank You

**AN: Okay let's just get straight to the point, here's the chapter I know you have waited for a long time…enjoy and always R & R!**

Relena fluttered her eyes open. She was still in the infirmary, only this time she was hooked up to an IV, and her regular work apparel had been exchanged for a hospital gown. She looked around the room. She was alone, by herself. The window to the outside world showed that a heavy, drenching rain was still falling, but by now it was nightfall.

Slowly, ever so carefully, she sat up. Instinctively she put a hand to her stomach and a sudden, horrific thought filled her head. She jumped up out of bed, ignoring the sharp pain of her IV line pulling sharply on her hand. She threw back the bed covers and breathed a sigh of relief…there was no blood to be found on her sheets.

"Don't worry, Relena, the baby is safe," said a woman's voice.

Relena turned to look at Sally as the doctor stood in her doorway. Though the news brought her no immediate joy, she felt herself release a sigh of relief. "I…I don't really know what to say…."mumbled Relena quietly.

"You may not think you actually want this child but motherly instinct will tell you otherwise," said Sally as she motioned for Relena to crawl back into bed.

The young woman did so diligently, tired from her sudden movements. She felt a wave of nausea hit her. She gagged and Sally quickly grabbed her a container to vomit in. As se go sick, Sally gently rubbed her back.

Relena finished and nearly sobbed, "I am sorry, Sally. I did not mean to behave as I did earlier."

"You were upset, Relena. It was perfectly understandable."

"You and Commander Une have every right to be upset with me," Relena muttered.

Sally frowned at the comment, "I suppose so, but then again Relena, it is not our life. We fear for the good of the ESUN, but first and foremost we fear for your well being. We should have taken a different approach."

Relena smiled at Sally's apologetic words. She struggled to straighten herself up and looked at Sally with burning eyes, "Does Heero know?"

"Yes," Sally stated simply.

Relena grew worried, "And…"

"He disappeared, Relena, I cannot tell you."

Tears stung at her eyes and Relena sank down into her pillows. Sally gripped her hand and looked into the young woman's broken face. "It will be okay, Relena. Things will work out."

But Relena did not reply. She turned her face away from the doctor and let the tears fall.

Sally, not knowing what else to say, released her hand and walked to the door. She stared back at the form of the young Vice Foreign Minister lying in the bed and sadly her heart sank. The door closed and Relena was left alone in her world of despair.

**- **

Commander Une frowned at Dr. J.

"Are you being quite serious with me sir?" she asked quizzically.

"Quite madam," replied Dr. J simply.

Commander Une stood from her desk, placed her hands behind her back and nearly groaned out loud. Could this day be any better? She smiled sarcastically, reviewing the day's events in her mind. Nothing in her life would ever be clear cut and dry. Thus the task of leading the Preventers, it would never get an easier.

She looked over to Wufei Chang who stood directly behind Dr. J, who sat ever so calmly in his chair. The Chinese man sniffed the air. "Do you choose to believe this man, Commander? Or should I detain him immediately?"

"Do we have a choice?" Une sighed.

"Believe what you will Mr. Chang, but know this," said Dr. J, "if you choose not to listen to me, history will repeat itself."

"Well, it would make perfect sense," said Une. "How else are we to believe this mysterious man's sudden appearance to us several weeks ago? The reason he did not appear to exist is because he _doesn't_ exist yet; at least not by our standards. That is why there is no known record of him anywhere."

"Yes," grunted Wufei, "but the very idea is absurd! Time travel? Are we to think such things are really possible?"

"You forget," piped in Dr. J, "that in the future, anything is possible. Besides I was prepared to handle your doubts. Here you go," said Dr. J as he slid a manila envelope across Une's desk.

"What is this?" asked Une as she picked up the envelope.

"The layout plans for the time machine. Look at it, build it if you like, but you will find that what I am saying is quite accurate. I only ask that you destroy them as soon as you no longer need them," sighed the scientist, "I am afraid they have caused much more harm than good. I use science as a portal to discover the unknown; others use it to their own advantage…"

"What more can you tell us about this boy? You said his name was Hayden?"

Dr. J sighed, "Yes, but I am afraid you can only know what I have already told you. The boy is a poor miserable soul. He was captured when he was just a young boy, and trained as an assassin. As to where he came from, I cannot tell you because I do not even know that myself and even if I did, I cannot reveal too much of the future to you; to do so would be catastrophic and could ultimately alter the course of history. I have said enough already; enough to cause much damage to the world that I came from."

"I see," sighed Commander Une. "I understand your concerns, but I can assure you that the information you have given us today will be used to do only good."

A knock came on the door. "Who is it?" asked Une.

"Sally."

"Enter."

The doctor walked in, looking solemn as ever. Wufei watched her carefully. He knew she was deeply stressed, even if she chose not to admit it. Besides, they had a situation on their hands concerning Relena's "condition".

"Well?" asked Une.

Sally looked cautiously over to Dr. J. Une looked at Wufei, nodded, and without a word, Wufei escorted Dr. J out of the office.

"How is she?" asked Une as soon as the door shut behind them.

"Not well," muttered Sally. "The child is safe, but as for Relena, she is in a state of shock."

"She is depressed, no doubt," replied Une gravely.

"Yes," agreed Sally. "I believe she will be fine after she has time to think about things, but for now I think the only way she will recover is if she were to see Heero Yuy."

"Where is he?"

"Duo coaxed him into returning to his hospital bed. I put them in the same room together. This way, Duo can keep an eye on him, even though he is a patient himself right now…"

"Place Preventer Fire in there with the two of them as well, I'll not have Preventer Zero doing anything stupid."

"Yes, Commander," replied Sally.

"And I agree," said Commander Une. "Relena will need to see Heero as soon as possible. If she does not, and you know Relena as well as I, I am afraid she will never fully recover. She will lose that baby with the amount of stress she is under, as if she didn't have enough on her mind already."

Sally nodded, saluted and left the room.

Une looked out the window of her office and sighed, it had been a long day, but it was going to be an even longer night.

**- **

"My head is killing me," moaned Duo Maxwell. "I swear if I ever get my hands on that guy, I'll make sure he doesn't forget me."

"Well obviously he hasn't," smirked Wufei. "Each time he has infiltrated he seems to always injure the braided baka."

"Shut up," muttered Duo. His head was throbbing with pain. He laid against the pillow and closed his eyes.

Wufei smirked. It was rare that he actually got to silence his talkative companion.

Heero, on the other hand, lie still, without saying a word. Though his back seared with pain at just the slightest amount of movement, he refused to take any medication that Sally had offered to him. His head was already cloudy enough; he did not need anything else to make his thoughts less clear.

Duo opened an eye and glanced at his roommate for the night. "How's it going over there for you, soldier boy?"

"Hn," was the only reply he received.

Wufei shot a glare at Duo, but the young man simply stuck out his tongue. He didn't care. He wasn't trying to pry, just trying to keep Heero's mind from wandering too far away. If they let him escape entirely into his thoughts they would never get him back. So, Duo decided to change the subject.

"Where's that mad scientist of yours?"

He saw Heero simply shrug his shoulders. Wufei rolled his eyes and answered instead.

"He has been taken into custody and will be kept for strict observation."

"Into custody?" Heero said warily.

Duo smirked. He knew this would get his attention.

"Don't worry," Wufei replied, "he is comfortable and well kept. I know that is how you would have wanted it, so I took the liberty upon myself to place him in one of the rooms that we usually reserve for visiting diplomats. There are several guards posted outside his door, but he is not going to be formally charged. There are actually several things we need to be thanking him for."

Heero nodded. He would see Dr. J later. In the meantime, he had something else he needed to attend to. Slowly he got up and swung his feet over the bed. He was not one for bed rest anyways.

"What are you doing?" asked Duo.

"To see Relena," he replied coldly as he walked out of the room.

Duo shot Wufei a careful glance, but the Chinese man did not move to stop Heero. This matter was not in Wufei's hands and he dared not stop him when it was the matter of the man's honor.

**- **

Heero crept quietly down the hall to Relena's room. He looked around. It was late, almost midnight, and the infirmary had finally quieted down after a very busy day. The Preventer who stood guard outside of Relena's room glanced at Heero once, nodded upon recognition and let her bodyguard in. Heero entered silently, closing the door gently behind him.

She was lying on her bed, fast asleep. Her body looked frail and tiny on the hospital bed, she did not move, but breathed quietly.

He walked up right next to the bed and peered closely into her face. Even in her slumber she seemed distressed and exhausted. The dry tears that stained her pale cheeks were evidence of her fragile condition that burdened both of their minds.

Carefully with his free arm, Heero pulled a chair up next to her bed. He sat down and stared at her while she slept. Hesitating, he reached out as if to touch her. Slowly, he grabbed her hand and could feel himself give way as he felt the touch of her skin to his. He could not do much considering the damage he had already done, but he had to try. He had to try for Relena's sake. Finally, Heero Yuy let his vulnerability take hold of him as he fell asleep.

**- **

_Relena was running. She was running out of time, she was going to be too late. But she had to save them. They were going to kill each other if she did not stop them. She couldn't let it happen, she just couldn't._

_She was in a dark alley now and she found herself looking for a door._

"_Where is it?" she asked herself nearly panicking._

_Then she was somewhere else. She had found the door, it opened and suddenly she was in a large room filled with boxes and crates._

_She heard gunshots ahead of her, and Relena ran. _

"_Heero!" she screamed out loud._

_Just then she clamped her stomach and doubled over in pain. She screamed and struggled to breath. _

_She could make out his dark figure just ahead of her. "Heero!" she called again, but he could not hear her._

_Relena felt something trickle down her leg. Not wanting to look but forcing herself to face the truth she glanced down and saw the pool of blood coming out of her._

"_No!" she screamed as another contraction shook her body. "Not my baby! Your going to kill my baby!" she sobbed hysterically. _

_She struggled to get to her feet. She crawled on the ground trying to reach him, when suddenly he was standing right before her._

"_Heero, stop it please," she begged. "You're going to kill my baby…"_

_He looked at her and turned away with cold Prussian eyes. He lifted his gun and fired into the distance away from her. _

_At that shot Relena screamed and felt her body go into anguish…_

**- **

"Relena wake up!"

She sat with a start, tears streaming down her face. She was screaming and she had no control over her voice. All she knew was that she was terrified.

"Relena!" cried the voice again.

She looked over and saw Heero calling her name trying to orient her to time and place. He was holding her hand and she jerked back away from him, remembering the cold glare he had given her only moments before. Startled, Heero moved away from her side.

"Stay away," cried Relena. She tried to move out of bed, but a pair of arms came down on her shoulders. It was Sally Po.

"Relena get a hold of your self," said the doctor calmly. "You were having a nightmare."

At those words, Relena threw back her sheets and looked. There was no blood. She clutched her abdomen protectively, and then slowly looked over to Heero, who was glaring at her with concerned eyes.

"It was a dream?" she said breathing heavily, "But it seemed so real…"

"It was a dream," said Sally. "It is morning; you slept soundly all through the night up till now. You started to become restless in your sleep and when Heero could not wake you himself, he sent for me."

Relena looked cautiously over to Heero, "You stayed all night?"

He simply nodded.

"I am so sorry," she sobbed, "It just seemed so real…I thought I was losing the baby."

"The baby is fine Relena, we can even do an ultrasound if you like," said Sally soothingly.

Relena nodded and sank her head back don into her pillows. Sally pulled the sheets back around her and tucked her in. "I'm going to send you a tray with some breakfast. You may not feel very hungry, but you're going to eat. After that we'll do an exam to may sure everything is okay."

Relena simply nodded and Sally left the room, glancing sharply at Heero.

Heero did not seem to notice though; he was focusing all his attention on Relena.

"Relena?"

She turned her head so that she was looking directly at him. Even though she had slept through the night, she still looked as tired as ever.

He struggled to find the right words, "How do you feel?"

Staring blankly at him, she meekly replied, "Exhausted." She examined him and noticed his arm in the sling. She had nearly forgotten about yesterday's events. Yesterday…it seemed like years ago.

"Heero, you're hurt…" she started.

He simply shook his head, "I'm fine. I'm more concerned about you."

She nodded accepting his statement. This was an awkward situation. They could both feel the tension in the air.

"Heero, I want you to now that I do not expect anything from you. I don't want you to feel pressured by my condition, and we are mature adults…"

"Relena," he interrupted. "I'm not going to leave you alone."

She grew quiet, staring at him. He continued, "It is my mission to stick by you, no matter what the costs."

"This isn't a mission, Heero," she said grimly.

"I know, that's not what I mean," he fumbled. "What I mean is that I shall accept the consequences of our actions just as you have. I have thought long and hard about this. Relena, for years I never thought I was capable of feeling, of doing anything human, but you showed me differently."

She nodded in understanding. He went on, "I want to try…I at least want to try, I have just been so preoccupied by my other engagements I failed to acknowledge the one person who has meant anything to me at all. I won't leave you, Relena, I can promise you that much."

Tears silently fell down her cheeks and he gently wiped them away with his fingers. He gently bent over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Thank you, Heero," was all she could manage to whisper.

**AN: Stay tuned I have another chapter in the works as we speak. Sorry this one took so long to get up. Email: **


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